Happily Ever After? edited ending
by leblover
Summary: What ever happened before 'The end' but after Rapunzel's welcome back party? A post-movie tale about Rapunzel and Eugene's turbulent lives in the kingdom. Will they ever get their happily ever after? Rated T for war and violence in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Once upon a time there was a 16 year old boy stuck in a Royal Jordanian flight for 12 hours and was so bored he watched a Disney movie called Tangled. I was that boy and I've always had a soft spot for Disney movies, but this movie really got to me and I instantly fell in love with it. Enjoy!**

**P.s. I own nothing, curse you Disney for owning everything!**

Chap 1

This may come out as a shock to some people, but heavily guarded palaces aren't really the best of places to raise an 18 year old girl who's head over heels in love and just got her first taste of freedom not even a week and a half ago. That's bound to cause some problems, but we'll get to that later.

Meanwhile. . .the parties have ended, the kingdom is back to normal (but in a much happier mood, I may add), and Eugene was soar from head to toe. Now he's been known to be a party animal at times, but even Eugene was sick to his stomach by day 4 with all the festivities. The only thing that made it all worthwhile for him was the smile on Rapunzel's face when she hugged her parents for the first time, the way she looked at everything so innocently, and finally the thought that she had found the home she really deserved. Not to mention the fact that they spent every minute of every day together holding hands or going out on adventures.

And every day was a day of days with a girl like Rapunzel filled with adventure, emotion, and discovery.

But this morning, Eugene woke up to find his door unlocked, his room spotless, he has a throbbing headache, and a certain annoying (but lovable) chameleon's tongue in his ear.

"Aaahhhh!" he said flinching at the disgustingly wet feeling. "Pascal will you stop that!" he glared. "You know one of these days I-"

"Oh, finally you're awake." a relieved voice interrupted, coming from the closet. Suddenly a girl with beautiful green eyes, messy brown hair in a purple corset, and a silver tiara stepped inside hesitantly. Gee, wonder who that could be?

Eugene just sighed "Goldie, you know any one of the guards would throw me out on the street if they even _heard_ you were in here." he said, trying to wipe Pascal's saliva out of his ear, who had a sly smile on his green face as if he enjoyed teasing him.

"You know I wouldn't let them." Rapunzel said with a smile of her own, holding up her infamous frying pan. She almost always kept at her side, though why was a mystery since there was no reason to with the Royal Guards at every corner. "Now get dressed Eugene, today's a big day!" she said, jerking at his arm to make sure he doesn't go back to sleep.

"Everyday's a big day to you Blondie." He flatly (and correctly) stated.

"No today's a really _really_ big day." she said, resisting the urge to jump up and down with never ending excitement. "Today's our first day of etiquette lessons together, aren't you excited!"

Putting on the best smile he could while still half asleep, he said sarcastically "Oh yeah, I'm super excited." Regretting it quickly realizing she still didn't know what sarcasm was.

"Me too, now hurry up and get dressed I want to show up early." she replied, grinning widely.

Eugene just sighed again and did what he was told, he loved her to death (which is a real understatement considering he actually died for her) but there were times where he forgot who he was talking to and had to remind himself she was special. But he never complained, in his eyes she was perfect and wonderful in every way.

Rapunzel wasn't really what you'd call "special" but being stuck in a tower for 18 years with only a witch like Gothel and a chameleon for company isn't a great childhood experience. So she never really…. understood everything in life. So naturally her parents thought etiquette lessons would teach her a thing or two about living and acting like a princess.

As for Eugene, etiquette lessons might as well be another form of torture. Who cares which spoon was for desert or soup or the proper way to walk as if you had a broom stick for a spine. But her parents had insisted he take the lessons as well, thinking it would teach him a few rules and manners as well.

The king and queen didn't know it at the time, but not even they could imagine how wrong they were about to be.

**A/N: Please, please, please review *getting down on knees and begging***


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my lovely reviewers….. all 2 of you anyway. Here's the next chapter, enjoy.**

**P.s. I own nothing, if I did there would be a Tangled 2 *fingers crossed***

Chapter 2:

'Someone kill me' Eugene thought to himself. He and Rapunzel hadn't even entered the dining hall which they would use for their etiquette lessons, but he had a feeling this would be no walk in the park. Once they did enter, they found the king and queen sitting down having a heated discussion with an abnormally skinny, but built up man with silky black hair, thin glasses, and a strange foreign accent, Eastern European maybe, hunching over them.

"Mom, Dad?" Rapunzel asked with a mix of happiness and surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Just then did the three of them realize they were in the room as well. "Rapunzel?" said the king.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated.

"Oh, uh well…" the king said flustered, which is very out of character for the king. He was a very complex person. One minute you'd think he had a heart of stone, then the next compassionate and understanding, and after that an emotional wreck, well around the queen anyway. Only with Rapunzel did he ever get….. awkward, but he loved her more than anything and was at least adjusting to being around her.

"Your mother and I were just having a little chat with your new teacher. Rapunzel, this is Mr. Thames. Mr. Thames these are your new students." He finally managed to say.

Mr. Thames took a bow and kissed her hand then in his strange accent said "It's a pleasure to finally met the beautiful princess. Your parents speak very highly of you."

"Really?" she replied blushing and in a higher tone than she expected. She was flattered which, truth be told didn't take much and wasn't very surprising. It's not like she got any compliments from Gothel. He was actually a bit handsome and didn't look a day over 40.

Turning his attention to Eugene "Aahh, and you must be Mr. Fitzherbert." He said holding out his hand "Yes, your majesties have told me many things about you as well." He had a welcoming expression on but his eyes were squinted as if he was suspicious of him

No doubt the king and queen had told him of his former occupation. It didn't bother him, he'd gotten that look many times since he rescued Rapunzel, as if people still thought he was a thief at heart. Which he was of course, but he'd never admit it, especially not to a complete stranger. But there was something different to it this time, something more than a suspicious look. What bothered him was he couldn't figure out what.

Reluctantly he shook his hand, it was surprisingly firm. "So, let's get this over with shall we." Eugene said in a not so polite manner.

The queen took that as their cue to go. "Yes, of course. Let's leave them to their lessons my lo-"

"Sorry to interrupt your highness, but my class wasn't scheduled to begin for another 30 minutes." Mr. Thames said not looking too sorry.

'What!' Eugene thought. He'd basically been dragged out of bed because a certain SOMEONE wanted to show up early for a class he was bound to hate. So naturally, he gave that certain someone the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look. Rapunzel just mouthed 'sorry' in return.

Then the king said "Why don't you two come back at a later time, we still have many things to discuss." looking at Mr. Thames.

The queen didn't look too happy with that suggestion. She looked worried and her lips were pursed as if something they'd talked about was bothering her.

"Sure" said Eugene, thankful that they didn't have to come back till a bit later. Whatever it was they were talking about, which was definitely not related to etiquette lessons, he didn't want to be there when they did.

"It was nice meeting you." Rapunzel said addressing Mr. Thames somewhat happily.

"Likewise" he replied with a small smile. And with that, they left.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm baaaaaack!**

**Dear reviewers:**

**Reddfoxx: I really did try to make it long, sorry if I didn't.**

**Disneyisbeautiful: I'm gonna have tons of fun with Mr. Thames personality but don't worry, everything will be explained in due time. And merci for the cookie ;)**

Chap 3: Eugene's POV

30 something minutes later….. Rapunzel and I arrived back to the dining hall to find Mr. Thames alone, sitting down looking at a small gold pocket watch and without even looking up he said closing it "You're late."

"You've got to be kidding, right?" I said, trying not to sound irritated, which I didn't do a very good job at because suddenly he got up from his seat and looked at me with his stern, intimidating, brown eyes. Don't let his skinny physique fool you, the man's intense. Even Rapunzel backed away from his stare. 'Note to self: Mr. Thames is not the kidding type.'

"Do you own a watch Mr. Fitzherbert?" he questioned somewhat sincerely but stern at the same time.

"No" I lied, well not exactly lied, the watches I did have weren't really mine and were hidden away under my mattress with some…other belongings for my eyes only, and I didn't think he'd like that sort of information.

Mr. Thames nodded at this, looking slightly less intimidating. It was the next thing he did that really shocked me. He threw me his pocket watch.

"You do now." He said expressionless "And I don't expect you to be late ever again."

For the second time in my life (1st being Rapunzel's hair glows/heals) I was speechless. I mean who gives an ex-thief a gold watch for the sake of knowing he's not gonna be late. Not that I didn't appreciate it or dislike it, but no one has ever given me a gift before. And no one really needed to, I stole everything I'd ever wanted till a week and a half ago.

"I…um…..I don't know what to say." I said still very puzzled.

"Don't mention it, we're already late as it is. So-"he said motioning toward the dining hall table neatly decorated with two sets of every plate, spoon, fork, and knife known to man.

"Let's get started."

-2 hours later-

I'd like to tell you taking etiquette lessons are exciting and fun… but I'd be lying. For the past two hours, Mr. Thames has been trying to teach me table manners. Even though he was being patient with me, I was on the verge of pulling my own hair out trying to stay still and resist the urge to tap on the table nervously. Where it not for the pain in the back of my neck from being slapped THRICE for putting my elbows on the table, I truthfully would've.

Only Rapunzel was truly happy with the lessons. Mr. Thames was very relaxed and patient with her as well, but hey she's the princess here. It's not like he was gonna slap the back of her neck for misbehaving. Nevertheless, she had always enjoyed learning and listened so acutely to every word he said. The girl found everything fascinating. Not that I blame her, this was her first step to becoming a real princess and she really wanted to make her parents proud of her.

Finally, after his useless attempts to get me to stop slouching in my chair, he dismissed us around noon and said we'd pick this up the day after tomorrow.

Once we were out of there Rapunzel said "That was great!" with a wide smile. "I learned so much, did you enjoy it?"

"Truthfully" I said, looking her straight in the eyes "not one bit."

She looked at me skeptically "Oh, come on. Not even a little?"

"You mean besides getting a new watch…." rubbing my aching neck "no nothing else."

"Well, at least one of us had fun." She said shrugging, then suddenly straightening up like she remembered something. "Oh, by the way, meet me in my room after dining and don't ask why" pressing a finger to my lips "It's a surprise." slowly that sly smile of hers was showing, which she obliviously learned from me.

"O-kaaay" I said a little suspicious now, I never did like surprises but then it dawned on me, she was inviting me into her room. I've never been to Rapunzel's room before, and she knew he wasn't supposed to come within 3 ft of it. Still he was not going to pass up the opportunity.

"I'll be there."

"Great" she said starting to walk off but not before giving me a peck on the check just to tease me. Which left me awfully suspicious of her surprise? 'WAIT!' he thought to himself 'Could it be….'

***Gasp* a cliffhanger! Usually I hate it when writers do that, but I understand now. It's just too much fun ;)**

**Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, sorry it took a while to update. Stupid writers block *shake fist in air* WARNING: this is T-rated for a reason, expect fluff.**

**Enjoy ;)**

Chap 4

'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! She meant sex! What should I wear? Black vest or brown vest?' Eugene thought. There he was, the infamous ex-thief Flynn Rider, known for his extraordinarily daring escapes, thefts, and being 'not too bad with the ladies' panicking over what to wear on the night the girl of his dreams invites him to her bedroom for a 'surprise'. Go figure.

He never thought Rapunzel would have a bad side to her. He wasn't even sure the s-word was the purpose of the visit. To tell you the truth, until she told him to meet him there, it never crossed Eugene's mind about doing it with Rapunzel. He was so happy around her he didn't feel the need to.

'Ok, focus man. Focus, it's probably not even about sex.' he reassured himself. It was almost 8 pm (according to his new watch) when he finally picked the brown vest, and made his way to the balcony which from there he'd climb up the palace and into her room.

The sun was setting slowly over the sea in the west and was getting dark, so it was quite simple to get around unnoticed. He did have experience from doing this before to steal the crown and didn't even need a rope. Sure he could've just snuck through the palace itself and arrived at her door. But this was more fun.

She was waiting for him on the balcony. She wore an elegant beige corset that hugged her curves perfectly, her choppy dark brown hair was tied back, her nails polished, and was wearing SHOES (slippers technically, but you get the point). Rapunzel never willingly wore shoes in her life. She wasn't trying to look stunning either, she just was naturally. Still, when he arrived, she took his breath away.

He was speechless yet again. No words could come to his mind to describe how beautiful she looked. He was losing himself in her wide emerald green eyes. Then she pulled him into a tight hug. 'This is gonna be a tough night to resist' he thought.

"Hey" Rapunzel said quietly but longingly, pulling away though still in his arms. 'Why's he staring at me like that?' she thought. 'Is there something wrong?'

That hey was all it took to pull Eugene back to reality. "Hi" he replied with his cocky Flynn-ish grin. "May I ask why the princess has called for me this fine evening?" he said half-sarcastic half-curious.

She smiled at his witty remark but turned serious and said "I need to talk to you about something."

His grin faded and was replaced by confusion. All his thoughts from earlier today were gone "I thought you had a surprise for me?" he asked actually relieved to be proven wrong, this wasn't about sex.

"Oh, I do but it can wait."

"Well what is it?"

She looked down from the balcony, and then left to right as if they were being watched. But they were still alone and night had fallen.

"Come with me." she said grabbing his hand and pulling him into her room. 'This is it' he thought. When he saw her room this mouth almost hung open, it was too dark now to see the ceiling but the entire place was painted white except for the marble floor, the windows, a closet, and her bed. It was easy to get lost in thought just by staring at the walls. He couldn't help but think something was wrong here. This was not the room he imagined Rapunzel in. It wasn't like her to be staying in a room like this. No paintings covering the walls, no games littered on the floor, not a single decoration. It was too…too…plain.

She lit a few candles and a yellowish light filled the room, adding a little color to the plain white walls. She laid down on her bed facing him, and tapped on it to signal him to lay there next to her. He obeyed, still disturbed by the lack of color or design. 'She's changed' he thought to himself. 'No she's still the same, isn't she?'

Pushing those thoughts away, he said "Now. What's this about?" in the most caring voice he could manage.

She closed her eyes and lets out a long, sad sigh trying to collect herself before she tells him. "I'm…having these dreams. Bad, scary ones." he noticed her shudder a little at the mention of it.

"Nightmares" he replied, the concern noticeable in his tone. She nods slowly. "How often?" he asks.

"Last night was the first, an-and today after class when I was napping." her voice was breaking "I-It was about-" she was on the verge of crying now "that day." she finishes quietly as a single tear escapes from her eye and runs down her cheek.

That's all she needed to say. He understood what she was referring to. 'That day' the two called it, the day Eugene Fitzherbert died. And although so many other things had happened that day, almost all of them good, that incident made it dark for both of them. They were the only ones who knew about his passing and return, it was their little secret. 'Til death do us part'

Eugene wiped away her tear. "Hey" he says softly, "I'm still here. I made you a promise after that remember. I'm never leaving you. Ever." Believe it or not, he was a man of his word nowadays, and this one was the one he intended on keeping the most.

He moved his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. It was sweet, loving, and long. So long he didn't think he could last much longer. Eugene's insides were screaming at him to do more, but no, he needed to control himself, for her sake. It wasn't right to take things further now, so he broke it.

Rapunzel was smiling now, not noticing the internal battle Eugene was facing. "I know" she said. He always had a way of cheering her up when she needed it most.

"Hey, Rapunzel?" Eugene asked

"Yeah" she said still smiling.

"You're killing me here, now tell me. What's this surprise of yours?" he said genuinely anxious.

She just giggles, "Well, if you must know. It's right there." she says pointing to the ceiling.

He looks up and sees…you'll never believe it…a painting. But not just any painting, it was a masterpiece like all of her artwork. How she got it up there without her long hair she'll never tell.

This one was special though, it was a beautiful view of the palace and town at night with hundreds of lanterns filling the sky from a little boat carrying two people and a reptile watching the show. It was their night.

He couldn't help but smile at it and remember the joy he felt then. He pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead, "It's beautiful, thank you." he says softly.

"It's the last thing I want to see before I sleep." she says happily. Those were the last words spoken before they fell asleep in the other's arms.

**Holy c*** over 1000 words! I'm so proud of myself. I may take a while to update this, running out of ideas… anyway don't forget to REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm back…with a stroke of genius! Hope you guys like **

**P.s. I forgot to add the disclaimers for a few chapters, sorry… I own nothing, Disney does.**

Chap 5: Eugene's POV

_Cold. The first thing I felt when my senses came back to me. I opened my eyes, my own body wasn't visible and I didn't like what I was seeing, the inside of Rapunzel's tower. It was clean for the most part, I thought that after at least a month away from it there would be a layer of dust or cobwebs everywhere, but there wasn't. Everything looked the same as we left, chains, long strands of brown hair, a large broken mirror, and a pool of my own blood still wet all on the floor. The place was bringing back some nasty memories._

"_Hello" I called out, my throat felt dry and rough so it was almost inaudible. Suddenly, the scene moved. I was outside the tower, in the clearing, then in the forest beyond it. Mountains, seas, and prairies were zipping past me like they were going a thousand miles an hour, but I wasn't moving. I felt a tugging sensation through my body like I was being pulled by an invisible rope, guiding me through the scenery. Still I didn't move, finally the landscape was gone and I was surrounded by darkness except for a few lights shining in the distance when, as fast as it had come, the pulling sensation stopped._

_I could feel solid ground underneath me; fog was covering the floor, and saw my body, patting myself everywhere to see if I was all there, I was. I looked up to see where the lights were, there was a string of red to the right as if fires were burning and to the left a row of eerie green with black marble tiles, free of fog, leading to them. There were trees too, dead skeletal trees as white as snow dotting the area around me. What I heard wasn't as comforting, the sound of screams coming from all directions except the green lights. These weren't childish girlie screams; these were very distinct screams of pain and suffering of adults. That wasn't even the strangest thing I heard, splashing. The sound of running water like a stream or river also coming from the distance._

"_Where the hell am I?" I said horrified by the sights and sounds._

_Suddenly, everything disappeared. The floor from under me wasn't there anymore, everything was gone again, and I felt myself falling and falling and falling then…_

I woke up, shivering and sweating at the same time. I was in my room sitting up and hugging myself from what I dreamt. Ever since Rapunzel had told me about her nightmares that night two weeks ago I've had three so far myself. This however was the first of its kind, the other two were far less realistic and scary, this felt real. Apparently, Goldie's been having a few too, I knew because every time she did I'd wake up to find her in my room very early waiting to tell me about it.

I looked at my pocket watch to see how early I'd woken, 6:33 am, the sun was already rising.

"Oh, come on, not this early." I moaned to myself, falling back on the comfortable bed knowing I wasn't gonna be able to go back to sleep after a dream like that. So, instead of sulking around my room hating myself for not getting more sleep, I decided I needed a bit of fresh air to clear my head. And what better place at this time of day than the gardens.

It was astonishing how empty the palace halls were; normally you wouldn't go 15 ft without seeing a servant, guard, or nobleman rushing about to where ever they needed to be. I found it strangely relaxing. Maybe I should wake up this early more often…naahh, whom I kidding, I need my beauty sleep.

The gardens were beautiful, flowers, trees, and vegetables of all colors and variety growing wildly, making it look almost jungle-like, except for the ring of stone benches and steps around it. It was also the warmest part of the palace, courtesy of the glass ceiling making act like a greenhouse.

With it being still very early I was enjoying the warmth. The wonders a small, quiet, and secluded place can have on a person's stress level, maybe I should've bought that island. Needless to say, it's been a very stressful month. With all the pointless lessons, adventures (if you call helping Rapunzel explore new things and feelings an adventure), and nightmares I need some peace of mind. A man can only take so much stress before exploding.

Just as the tension in my shoulders was finally leaving me, a strange voice from behind said "Well this is a pleasant surprise."

I almost jumped out of my skin, normally having thief-like senses meant I could tell when someone was approaching me, this time I didn't. Maybe I'm messed up or something. I turn around to see none other than…Mr. Thames with a satchel slung over his shoulder, leaning next to a lemon tree.

"Wonderful morning isn't it?" he asks very casually.

What the hell is he doing here? "Um, Mr. Thames, what are you doing awake this early?"

He arched his eyebrows, "You didn't answer my question."

I sighed, "Yes, it's an absolutely wonderful morning today," I said sarcastically. "now answer mine."

He smiled at my sarcasm, which made me a tad bit annoyed. "This is the normal time I'm awake, 7 o'clock sharp. You know, you're the last person I'd expect to run into at this time, I may ask you the same thing."

I didn't say anything and just looked away.

He gave me the same look he did when we first met, suspicious but with concern, understanding maybe, I couldn't tell. "What's on your mind, Mr. Fitzherbert?"

My nightmare, but I wasn't gonna tell him that, "Your class." I lied quickly.

He let out a small but deep laugh; it was strange hearing it from him for the first time. "That the best you could think of, for an ex-thief you're not a very good liar."

That wasn't true. I'm a great liar, I've lied to hundreds of people my whole life and everyone, with a few exceptions, believed me. I really am messed up now aren't I?

"Anyway," he continued, "you won't have to worry about that either. I come bearing gifts from the royals, well depending on how you look at it." He opened his satchel, pulled out a piece of parchment, and tossed it to me.

Furrowing my brows and unrolling it, I asked "What's this?"

He smiled again, "It's an application to join his majesties royal army."

What, that can't be right, "But, Corona doesn't have an army, the only thing we have close to it are the palace guards."

He looked very calm and picked a lemon off the tree, "Not anymore, his Excellency the king decreed that a national military be established in order to defend Corona. Do you really think the palace guards are capable of keeping the kingdom safe and secure?" he said arching is eyebrows, "you of all people should know that."

Very true but still…"Why does he want me?"

Mr. Thames started examining the fruit now, "Let's just say you haven't been responding very well to my class and there are…other forms out there to teach discipline." I didn't like the way he emphasized on 'other forms' but I expected he'd say something like that.

"Do I have a choice?" I asked.

He shrugged, "It's either this or my etiquette lessons you find so entertaining." Now who's the sarcastic one?

I sighed trying to weigh my options, although the idea of training was cool considering I've become even lazier, was bored out of my mind, and might've added a few pounds. But I was not one to enjoy the military lifestyle, then again to choose between that and those excruciating lessons that not even Rapunzel could get me to like, my choice was clear. 'Rapunzel' I thought, wait I couldn't join the military, that would mean a risk of dying and breaking my promise. "I'll…have to think about it."

"Oh don't tell me, tell the king himself. You have a meeting with him at 11, that should give you enough time to make a decision."

With that, he turned around and started walking away but paused and added "Fair warning, I heard the new commanding officer is a real tough son of a bitch. Good day to you." With a wide smile as if he knew something I didn't and walked off again.

I had 4 hours to make that decision, and I had no clue what to do. I'm the most messed up person on Earth.

**This is my longest chapter ever! I'm so proud of myself **

**P.s. A virtual cookie will be given for anyone who can guess what the strange place in Eugene's dream was. Come on, you know you want one (::)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey everybody, I'm sorry if this chap is a bit boring compared to the others, but it's necessary.**

**As promised, CONGRADULATIONS TO… disneyisbeautiful for being the only one to answer my question. Sorry to tell you answered wrong but no biggie, you still get a cookie! (::) congrates and the dream will be explained later. I've read your stories and I LOVE the idea of Pascal's POV, pure genius. Not a big fan of Disney channel shows though…**

**P.s. I own nothing, only a laptop, a bed, and my imagination. How sad :(**

Chap 6: Eugene's POV

The 4 hours was almost up, I was standing outside the door to the kings' study room and I still couldn't make my decision. To say yes would mean breaking my promise to Rapunzel of never leaving her, to say no would mean the status quo and I'd be stuck with my dreadfully boring routine that I now hate with a burning passion. Neither of which was appealing and to choose one over the other would either make me feel guilty or regretful.

But as much as if hate admitting it, too many things have changed in the month we've been here. My life went from spontaneously exciting, carefree, and fun to predictable, controlled, and, for lack of a better word, just plain dull.

Even Rapunzel and I have changed; she's no long that cute, innocent, curious, barefoot blond I met in a tower. She's become more…normal and Blondie used to be anything but normal, she's as cute as ever, innocent…yeah not as much which is my fault (even though we haven't had sex yet), but her curiosity just isn't there anymore, no thanks to her lessons. Not to mention she's also wearing footwear almost every day now. I too haven't been my normal self as of late, my urge to steal anything is completely gone along with my thief-like skills of lying and scouting. And, like I said before, I'm even lazier now and put on a few pounds, not much though. 'Stupid palace with its 24/7 service and kitchen.' I thought.

Oh, wait there's more. For the first few weeks we couldn't go more than an hour without at least seeing each other, but recently we've been spending more time apart, sometimes for several hours, because of her princess duties and lessons. Etiquette was the only class we both shared, which if I were to join the army, would cut off even more of our time together. But I can't just wait around for her like some lost puppy; I need to keep myself occupied.

Still, even with all that said, I have never regretted finding Rapunzel, or befriending her, or falling in love with her, and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Because she turned me from a selfish criminal into a real man, I owe her my life and she needs me in hers. She's the only one for me.

Then, without warning, the door opened in front of me, and suddenly I realized that if I couldn't make this decision on my own, I know there's two people who have both Rapunzels' and my interest at heart to steer me in the right direction, and one of 'em is in that very room.

The kings' POV

Being a king isn't all it's cracked up to be. Yes you have absolute power and wealth and that's all fine, but then come the decisions. No decision is ever simple for a king; you have to look at every factor, resource, and player in the equation to come up with a solution that doesn't anger too many people. Easier said than done.

For example, at this very moment I'm sitting behind the desk in my study listening to a very annoying Captain of the Guards because my decision to establish an army somehow offended him.

"You think my men aren't good enough for the kingdom, is that it?" he says arrogantly.

Truthfully, yes. Their training was poor, their tactics are outdated, along with their ridiculous uniforms, their weaponry and armor was in short supply, and their discipline is lacking. The fact that he even said that to his king proves his is questionable. Can you blame me?

"You would do well to watch your tone Captain," I reply with controlled anger, emphasizing the 'Captain'. "And remember who you're speaking to." Giving him my intimidating you've-crossed-the-line look, that would have many men shaking in their boots.

The Captain shudders and says in a hesitant and politer tone, "I-I meant no disrespect your highness, it's just…I find it unwise to replace the guards with a unit headed by an officer who's completely psychotic.

I nodded at this, true the man was a bit…strange but he's proven to be more effective than any other recommended officer. "Captain, I can assure you the guards are not being replaced. Think of it as a transfer of responsibility, you're no longer required to defend the borders and external threats. As for the commanding officer, he has my full confidence and will surely get the job done, regardless of his…" I trailed off searching for the right words. "Unorthodox approaches."

"I understand your majesty." He says simply but reluctantly.

I had to smile, another great thing about being king; people have to respect your decisions. "Good, your dismissed Captain."

And with that, he bowed and left the room. As he opened the door, I saw Eugene waiting with a look on his face as if he had had an epiphany. The Captain just shoved past him, growled 'Rider', and continued walking out.

That somehow snapped him out of his thoughts and he walked in.

"Eugene my boy, you're early have a seat." I greeted him, motioning toward the chair in front of my desk. He did.

But…I couldn't help but notice Eugene looked nervous now, almost shy even. The entire time he's stayed with us I've only seen that look once, the day he brought Rapunzel home, wondering if we would accept him or not. What could it be about now?

Neither of us had said anything yet, both of us were lost in our own thoughts sub-consciously waiting for the other to start.

"So," I said breaking the awkward silence. "I take it you've made your decision concerning my offer."

"Actually your highness, I haven't." he answers, the confidence clearly visible in his tone. "That's what I'm here to talk to you about."

I was shocked for a moment, but looking back on it now, I realized it might've been a bit…sudden to bring up the subject now. Then again, if he didn't start preparing himself now it might be too late before…

"Oh." I reply after recovering from the shock, "Well, go on then."

He lets out a long sigh, and tells me about his little…dilemma between a promise he made to my daughter and his longing for excitement and adventure. I could tell from the passion in which he spoke of both that this was literally tearing him up inside. It made me a little regretful seeing him like this, but I can't put off the issue any longer, he needs to be prepared.

"I see," I reply sadly. "Come, let's take a walk."

"What for?" he says with a confused expression. From his point of view it wasn't really the smartest thing to say, but I wasn't offended. It's time I tell him what the situation is.

"We have much to talk about."

**A/N: Also, I'm thinking about dropping the romance tag considering the trajectory I'm planning, what do you guys think?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry guys, I know it's been longer than usual, it's been a busy week for me, no thanks to school so it seemed kinda off to me when I reread it but maybe it's just me. Enjoy!**

**P.s. I do not own Tangled, but I do own an ipod-4 with all my ideas for this story on it, and no I will not show it to you ;)**

Chap 7

Rapunzel's POV

_The dark, is not very high on my list of things I like _(a list far too long by any standard)_, but that was all I could see. Engulfed around me was this eerie, almost unnatural blackness closing in on me making me feel small, claustrophobic, and most of all, terrified. I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was 7, but certainly was now. I wanted to sink down and wrap myself in my arms as if that would shield me from it, but my body wouldn't move. It was as if the darkness was binding me, but in the background, there was a noise. A light, playful noise I recognized all too well; splashing. The sound of a river, and from what I could tell, it was very close to where I am._

_Suddenly, the darkness withdrew and I could see everything around me more clearly. I was still surrounded by the color black but it was a relief from the crushing claustrophobic sense I felt before. Then I saw it._

_A river no doubt, but unlike one I have ever seen before. There was sand around the banks, but it was black as well, like ash from a volcano. The river itself was disgusting; it was polluted with any random object you could imagine. I saw jewelry, swords, dolls, musical instruments, dresses, anything and everything was following the rivers' current to who knows where. But it was the next thing I saw in the river that made my blood run cold._

_A simple boat, and in that boat was a tall man in a dark grey cloak; his head hooded, back facing me, and he had an oar in his hands, a ferryman I guessed, navigating the boat. But that's not who I was focusing on. Another man in a blue vest, white shirt, with brown hair was sitting up straight, hands on his lap, and head looking forward. I glanced at the man's face for only a second, and I gasped in shock. His hazel brown eyes were glassy, empty, and cold. Sweat was covering his forehead, but still, I recognized him immediately. Sitting in the boat was Eugene in the same clothes I first met him in, but the right side of his shirt and vest was stained red. Red with blood._

_What is he doing here? More importantly, what is he doing in that boat with a strange man? He shouldn't be here….we shouldn't be here, that much is clear. I need to get us out of here._

"_Eugene!" I called. He didn't answer, not so much as a glance toward me. "Eugene!" I screamed louder. Still no response, and the boat was almost in front of me now, soon it would be out of sight; lost in the darkness._

_My breathing was heavy and uneven, there was a painful, gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach that made me want to puke, and my eyes were watery as I tried running towards it. We had to get out of here and I wasn't leaving without him, but as soon as I reached the edge of the water, my arms where holding me back and I sunk to my knees on the cold, black sand. I couldn't move again, I looked to see what was stopping me; my wrists were chained._

_I struggled against them to no avail and that only made them tighten around my wrists, leaving marks and cutting off blood to my hands. I was sobbing loudly and uncontrollably, I was gasping for air when I tried choking back my tears. He was leaving me, I couldn't let Eugene leave now; at least not like this. It was a long shot but I didn't know what else to do at the moment._

"_YOU PROMISED!" I shouted before sinking down lower in grief, still crying._

_I looked up, hoping with every fiber of my being I'd get a reaction, any reaction. I did….but not from Eugene. The ferryman stopped the boat directly in front of me and turned to face me, as if he just now heard my calls. His hood was still covering his face, but I saw him look down at me and shake his head slowly like he felt sorry for me. I straightened up and stared at him as he looked away and whispered just two words, in a shrilly but clearly masculine voice, "Not yet."_

_With a wave of his hand, I felt dizzy and tired; my eyes were beginning to close but then…_

I opened them again but I was in my room now. No boat, no darkness, no Eugene.

It was just a nightmare, my worst nightmare. Eugene had broken his promise; he left me alone in the dark, chained, and crying my eyes out. It was worse than when he left me after the lanterns, even worse than when he died.

I needed to see him, to feel him, just to reassure myself he's still here. It might sound desperate but it's the only way to calm myself.

I got out of bed, not even bothering to change out of my silver nightgown, and was about to head out the door, when I just realized it was much too bright in here to be early morning. Before I could convince myself otherwise, I took a peak at the grandfather clock in my room; it was a quarter past 11, I'd overslept and etiquette class starts in less than an hour. I had to make quick work of finding Eugene before then.

!#$%^&*()

Eugene's POV

Note to self: Whenever there's an uncomfortable silence between you and a king, its best not to start off a conversation with something stupid like "So…how's your day goin?" The following will result: you will look like an idiot and get a skeptical or confused stare.

Surprisingly though, he softened after that and his mouth was curling up into a small grin. "It's been far too long since anyone's asked me that." He said deeply and still grinning.

We weren't walking to anywhere in particular, it's one of those 'more-about-the-journey-than-the-destination' type walk but somehow, by utter coincidence, I found myself back in the gardens again. Occasionally, a servant or guard who walked past us would avert their eyes and bow respectively than continue with their duties. I admit, it felt good being respected like that, even though it was directed at the king and not me.

"You have a good heart, Eugene. Don't forget that." The king said. His head held high, shoulders out, and hands behind his back. He literally radiated a sense of royalty and wealth, with just his posture and dark purple robes. And to get a compliment like that from the king is no small feat, believe me.

"It was one of the reasons my wife and I agreed to let you stay with her." He continued wistfully but also sadly. There it was again; that sad, aging look from a man expecting the worst. I noticed it in when I was in his study and during our walk. "It will serve you well when the time comes." Oh boy, this doesn't sound good.

"Your highness," I said softly, thinking about what he meant by 'when the time comes' which is a definite sign of bad news. "Where are you going with this exactly?"

The king stopped walking and sighed, his posture faded as he rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he were trying to collect himself before answering me. The king looked…tired, maybe even a bit exhausted. After a few awkward seconds of silence, he regained his composure and continued walking.

"It isn't easy being a king, you know. There are meeting to be attended, decisions to be made, responsibilities to be looked after, and they're all so fragile." Then in a sterner voice he continued, "People forget that a king is only just a man, a man with a family to look after as well."

"I understand your highness." I replied, not really knowing what to add that could be useful.

He raised his eyebrows at me, "Do you?" he questioned skeptically. I wasn't really that sure now.

"What I'm trying to say Eugene is, sometimes what we want to do isn't always the same as what we need to do, understand now?" he said slowly.

It made sense, yeah. But still, where was he going with this? "What are you getting at, your highness?" I asked curiously.

He sighed, "One day, you will be a prince of Corona, and soon after that you will be king. Carrying all our pride, and the responsibilities that come with power. I had the fortune of knowing that from birth, but you don't.

My eyes widened and I gulped in fear, I was going to be a king. I didn't know the first thing about being one, and truthfully, I didn't trust myself with all that power.

"Yo-your highness…." I trailed off in shock, how do I put this delicately…"I wouldn't make a good king, I'd have no idea what to do!" I argued squeamishly. Yeah, I was real delicate there.

He nodded slowly, saying with all seriousness, "And that is what we're trying to teach you. One way or the other, be it etiquette or conscription, you will learn how." Then looks down like he's saddened, almost pained maybe. I knew by his expressions he was leaving out something, something critical. I should ask him.

"Your majesty, what is it you really want to tell me?"

He sighed and looked away, taking his time to find an acceptable answer. Then he looked back at me with a face of dead seriousness and gripped my shoulders tightly. "I didn't want to tell you this because I knew it would affect your decision. I didn't want to pressure you to do something you didn't have to do, but you need to know…" suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw a blur of silver from behind the king, coming closer. But I didn't dare look away from his face; this was too serious to miss.

"Eugene…I'm dying, and a war is brewing."

**A/N: mwwahaha. I know, I know. I'm evil cuz of this cliffhanger but guess what? **

**REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATES**

**:O Shocking, I know.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: See, what I tell ya. More REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATES.**

**Dear, Reverend Lovejoy**

**I completely understand where you're coming from and let me explain: 1) I don't consider the Guards as an army, think of them more as a police force. 2) As you will read below, I needed to bring up something more capable, to even the odds. 3) I could never see Eugene as a Guard or getting along with them. 4) I didn't notice that I might've been a bit too hard on them, but you will be seeing more of the Captain later on. And thank you, its criticism like that which helps me become a better writer.**

**Enjoy! And I do not own Tangled.**

Chap 8

Eugene's POV

Had I heard him right? The king, the wisest and most loved person in all of Corona besides Rapunzel, was dying. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shocked, almost to the point of fainting had he not been gripping my shoulders, almost. The man who pardoned me from my crimes, took me under his wing, and allowed me to spend time with his daughter, wouldn't be there for us anymore. I was going to be a king much sooner than I thought or wanted to be.

"How long till…" I trailed off the whisper. I didn't want to complete the sentence. That would mean I believed it was true.

"2 months…3 if I can hold out." He said it so calmly that there wasn't a doubt in my mind that he's been expecting this for a long, long time. But how could someone be so calm when it comes to their death! I might've looked calm when it happened to me but was panicking like crazy on the inside.

I sighed and looked down in sorrow, probably be best to change the subject about now. "Tell me about the war." I said with renewed seriousness. It probably came out more as a command than a request, so he let go of me and we continued our walk.

"Our neighbor to the south, the kingdom of Tortuga **(A/N: it's a horrible name I know, but it's the best I could do, so bare with me ok?)** is becoming a bit…greedy as of late. Its king, William, has turned the once small, friendly kingdom into an emerging empire. He's tripled the size of its territory in only 20 years, conquered thousands people, and is gaining influence fast. Tortuga's nearly 5 times our size and they outnumber us 6 to 1. It's starting to worry the surrounding states, and he'll have to pass through Corona first before he can get to the others."

Tortuga…I remember hearing that from somewhere, maybe from a few pirates. Anyway, I wasn't all that great in geography and math but from what the king is telling me, it looked like we were doomed.

I was almost too afraid to ask, but I managed to say, "What do we do?"

He raised his eyebrows at me again and shrugged lazily, "You tell me, I'll be dead when it starts."

I stopped walking now. Was he being serious! He's dying, a war is coming, and he wants ME of all people to tell him what to do. "Sorry your highness, I'm really not following." I said furrowing my brow, trying to hide my irritation at his answer.

He looked at me apologetically and said, "King William will not start a war until he thinks we're at our weakest point. It would be easier for him to attack us when we're down. And what better time to do so than when a nation is mourning the death of their king…" trailing off to look at me.

I arched my eyebrows in shock, "Oh…he knows that you're…" I trailed off again. I still couldn't bring myself to say it; there must be something we could do to save him.

He shook his head with uncertainty, "I can't be sure of that but…there have been rumors among the public of my condition. Sooner or later he'll figure it out, that is why we need an army. Once I do pass, he will wait for about a week, give or take a few days, out of respect for me before he attacks."

The last part was a bit confusing. Waiting out of respect for the king? Not that I didn't mind the wait, the longer the better, it's just something seems fishy between the king and this William person. "Why wait, why not just go for it the day of."

He smiled and looked up wistfully, as if remembering a happy memory. "If there is one thing I know about Will, it's that he is a man of pride. He would want a fair, honorable victory."

I always knew the king was a wise man, I never figured he was an amazing war strategist. You think you know someone…

"Wow, well that's very analytic of you." I complimented.

The king let out a small, embarrassed laugh. "To tell you the truth Eugene, I wasn't the one who came up with that. It was one of my officers."

"Ahhh, would that be the really tough, psychotic commanding officer." I asked mischievously.

The king looked impressed by my knowledge. "You've heard of him, good. Might I ask who told you about him?"

"Mr. Thames." I answered.

The king furrowed his brow and looked at me strangely. "Did he now?" he sounded a bit suspicious. "Did he tell you who it was?"

I shook my head and said "No."

He looked a bit confused by that but he straightened up like he remembered something and asked, "Now that you've heard everything. I need an answer about my offer. Were you to say yes, you could play a critical role in the war. If not, that's your choice and I will not force you into one."

Alright, I know what I have to do now. "But, I think you already know what my answer will be." I looked up at him smirking.

He nodded "You leave for the training camp in two days time, make the most of it." He said, and then patted me on the back before leaving.

!#$%^&*()

Rapunzel's POV

I found him, I finally found Eugene. My heart literally leapt out of my chest in relief and I smiled happily, Eugene was still here. He was in the gardens with Dad, talking about something. Eugene looked confused and Father's back was facing me as he gripped his shoulders. I was about to greet them when I heard my father say, "Eugene…I'm dying, and a war is brewing."

I froze as if my whole world had come crashing down. My eyes widened so much I thought they'd fall out of their sockets, until they started to get watery and my vision blurred. Dad was dying, the only father I've ever known and had was going to leave us. We had only known each other for a month but I grew to love him unconditionally. Sure there were a few awkward moments between us but he cared for me, he pardoned Eugene and let him stay with us. But most of all, he was my father and he loved me the same way I loved him.

I didn't want to hear another word, the less I know the less grief I'll feel over it. Ignorance is bliss, right? Before they could tell I was there, I ran. I had to get away from them; I didn't want them to see me cry. I hate it when people see me cry, I hate it when happiness doesn't last, and I hate it that I felt so alone. Mo-Gothel had died and left, I had nightmares of Eugene leaving me, and now my father was next. I'd be all alone.

I had run a good distance from the gardens and made my way into an empty room till my feet gave out from my sobbing and grief. I pushed my back against the large wooden doors, wrapped my arms around my legs, and buried my face in my knees. I needed to get away from people for a while; I didn't want anyone to worry if they saw me crying.

Then, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. It was so unexpected I nearly jumped up in fear, but I managed to relax a bit and looked up to see who startled me. And I realized this wasn't just any empty room; it was the dining hall. And kneeling down next to me, hand on my shoulder, with a look of sorrow was Mr. Thames with his usual silky black hair and thin glasses. He looked different though; he was growing out a beard, and his chest seemed thicker compared to how it was the day we first met.

"I take it you've heard the bad news." He whispered understandingly.

I couldn't do more than just nod my head while I tried to collect myself and even out my breathing.

"Was it about your father and Mr. Fitzherbert?"

I almost stopped breathing for a second after I heard 'and Mr. Fitzherbert'. What did this have to do with Eugene? My eyes narrowed at him suspiciously as I asked, "What do mean 'and Eugene'?"

He removed his hand from me and sighed sadly, "The king has asked him to join the army before his untimely death, so that he may be prepared for the war and learn how to become a leader. Corona needs a new leader."

I narrowed my eyes again, this time in confusion, "We're at war?" I asked.

"We will be, soon enough." He answered very casually as he stood up and offered his hand to me.

I took it thankfully and smoothed out my gown as I stood, it wasn't really necessary but it was nice being treated politely. My other tutors were never very polite and they always seemed irritated by my questions. They treated me as if I was young and naïve, but I'm not. Mr. Thames was different, he acted so gentlemanly and casual about everything; and he was always honest with me. It was really refreshing since he always gave me a straight answer, unlike other people who would just avoid my questions or make their answers too long and complicated.

He was more than just a teacher to me. He was a person I could talk normally to about anything, and I didn't have to watch what I say or do because he was never judgmental about any subject we discussed. He reminded me a lot about Eugene. It astonished me how similar the two of them were; they both had that same mischievous smirk, they were both handsomely charming in their own special ways, and-believe it or not-they even have the same smolder.

I almost didn't want to ask this but curiosity got the better of me, "If he does join…does that mean he'll have to leave me?" the last part came out quietly, I looked into his eyes pleading for the answer to be no.

He looked away with hurt after I stared at him; I knew he would never lie to me. He cared about me just like any father would for his own children, and he knew I wouldn't like the answer; but he said anyway, "Yes."

I tried not to get too upset over it, I'd been expecting it but that didn't stop me from sniffling or my eyes from watering again.

"Your highness," he said softly "you know very well it's not lady like to cry in front of company. Have I taught you nothing." He joked with a genuine smirk.

I couldn't help but giggle at that, but I needed to be strong. No more crying anymore, I have to suck it up. "I don't want him to leave me, you understand don't you?" I asked keeping a serious face.

His smirk faded and he sighed again, "I do but…there's no stopping it. He needs the training and if it makes you feel better, Eugene will be looked after carefully. I can personally assure you of that your highness."

I simply nodded, albeit sadly, but I trusted him on that which calmed me a bit. He was right, he always was.

"And…" he continued "if there is one thing you can do, it's that you make the most of your remaining time together. Go, comfort him, and put both your minds to ease. Consider my class dismissed till he leaves." He smiled at me now.

"Thank you." I replied smiling back.

"One last thing, there was this phrase; a phrase that mothers and wives would say to the men before they went off to war. It might sound a bit cold but, trust me it helps ease the burden of sending him off. I want you to say…" he moved forward and whispered the sentence in my ear, and I knew that for as long as I live I would never forget that line. Ever.

**A/N: Wahoo! More than 2000 words! :) :) but don't forget to REVIEW.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am so, so, so sorry. My internet was BROKEN, I know right? Please forgive me, I was planning on updating 3 days ago and so many of you reviewed the last time I checked, it's been absolutely torturing me to make you wait this long. Ugh :(**

**Anyway, remember what I said about reviews = faster updates. Yeah…that only works if I have internet access but don't let that stop you. Also, when I reread this I realized I suck at fluff so tell me what you guys think, ok?**

**Dear, reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: You are, by far, awesome. You're my most active reviewer and you've motivated me to type this story as fast as humanely possible. Thanks for that. And no Mr. Thames will not be evil, well maybe somewhat ;)**

**(Reviewer with no name): WHO TOLD YOU! Sorry, sorry, got a little carried away there. You guessed right but at least pretend to be surprised when she says it.**

**Cookie: you should, and you'll find out why sooner than you think ;)**

Chap 9

3rd person POV

Time is up, and the day has finally come. Today is the day he leaves her, somewhat unwillingly of course, but this is something he needs to do. The past 2 days have been absolutely wonderful for them both; there were no lessons, no disturbances, no distractions. It was just the two of them alone for every minute of the day, making the most of their last hours together. They didn't talk much about the king's condition or the up and coming war, and when he first brought it up she told him she already knew. They just left it at that.

Eugene was in his room now, staring at the armor neatly laid out on his bed, which was strange since it hadn't been there when he left almost ten minutes ago. It consisted of 2 shields, a very large bronze one with a sun pressed into the metal and a small iron one that looked like a cookie with two bites taken out of the sides, a matching bronze breastplate and shin guards, a gladiator helmet with feathers on top (he really hated the feathers because it reminded him of the Captain and made him look it a rooster, but mostly the latter) and leather shorts with a belt. On the weapons side there was just a spear, a wickedly sharp sword, and a small knife both sheathed.

And if that hadn't been enough, he had no idea how to dress them on without making it look and feel completely wrong or uncomfortable. So much so he had to ask Rapunzel to come with him to help.

"Eugene, how on Earth do you not know how to put this on. It's really simple." She said innocently while examining the armor in front of her. She had her (what Eugene liked to call) thinking look on; eyes narrow, hand holding up her chin, teeth biting her lower lip. It would've been adorable if he hadn't thought she was such a know-it-all at the moment. "I'm starting to think you only brought me here just to see you undress." She said breaking the look to smirk at him teasingly.

He smiled at her while she adjusted the straps of his breastplate, thinking two can play this game. "Oh please," he said dramatically with a wave of his hand. "It's not like I didn't have countless opportunities to show you. And if you were really that interested, all you had to do was ask." He teased back.

They continued like that for another 5 minutes until Rapunzel had finally gotten him fully dressed. Spear at hand, his sword and knife strapped to his belt, helmet tucked under his arm, the smaller shield neatly fastened to his back for extra protection, which was genius to say the least, and he was ready to go. But now came the hard part; leaving.

They had walked to the palace gates in silence while Rapunzel was holding his bronze shield, playing with it absently. He noticed she looked. . .nervous, like she was going over a plan. Both were thinking of how to go about this carefully. Were it to get all emotional, it would only make it harder for him to leave. And were it to be subtle, it wouldn't feel right and they wouldn't get the sense of assurance they both desperately needed.

A small gathering of friends were waiting for them when they arrived to say goodbye. It included the king and queen, the Captain, and Pascal who happened to be a very dull shade of blue. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Thames was nowhere to be found. They only time anyone ever saw him was the day he had class with Rapunzel and Eugene, and that was every other day. Eugene could only imagine what the man possibly did in his spare time.

Poor Pascal though, he would never admit this but he was actually depressed to see Eugene leave. Sure, sometimes they got on each other's nerves, but they had a ton of great times together. Pascal knew he wasn't very well liked in the palace (for obvious reasons, there was this little incident when the maids first met him, woke up half the palace with their screaming) so he didn't have many friends, 3 to be exact, which made him very protective over the ones he did have. He would miss him dearly.

And he wasn't alone, deep down the king and queen felt the same way. They were sad to see him go but they knew the circumstances demanded it; no doubt this would have an obvious impact on their daughter. You'd have to be a fool not to see their blind liking for each other, and it would've been cruel of them not to pardon him considering their relationship.

The Captain, on the other hand, was a slightly different story. He had never forgiven Eugene of leading a life of crime and making him look like a mockery in front of everyone. Nor did he completely trust his so called 'transformation', even though every single piece of value in the palace had been accounted for. But he was, surprisingly, the most supportive of the king's decision to conscript him into the military. Finally he'll know how it feels to take a walk in his shoes.

Eugene was a bit confused to see the Captain there but the king explained he would 'accompany' him to the training base and would be there to 'assist and supervise' the officer in charge. He could tell by the way the Captain twitched at the mention of this mysterious officer they had met before, and it didn't turn out well.

They said their 'goodbyes' and 'good lucks' one by one; a salute from the king, a warm hug from the queen, and an affectionate rub from Pascal but now came the one the he was dreading most; Rapunzel's.

There was a pause when it came Rapunzel's turn to face him; she was still holding his shield with both hands, tapping on it nervously as she went over one last time in her mind how to say what Mr. Thames had told her to say. But he made the first move.

He stepped forward and pulled her in for a hug, causing her to drop the shield with a loud _clang_. Neither cared at the moment, this was their absolute last minute together. And they planned on spending it in each other's arms.

There was something he was dying to say, something he hasn't said since he was four years old. But he knew he couldn't leave without saying it, so he did. "I love you Blondie."

She froze in shock as she felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of those words, never had she heard Eugene say that to her before. Then it slowly melted in her chest realizing she was the only person he'd say it to. "I love you too." She replied.

After what seemed like an eternity to the others watching the love fest, they finally drew back. She picked up the shield and pressed it against him and said, "Come back with this, or on it."

As he looked into her wide emerald green eyes, he knew what she really meant by that; 'just come back'. He smiled and took it, and the last thing he said to her was, "I will, I promise."

!#$%^&*()

Eugene's POV

6 hours, many awkward silences, and limbs feeling so sore I might as well have crawled the last sixty minutes; and we had arrived at our destination. How I managed to do this for a living just over a month ago is beyond me.

The training base was huge. It was smack in the middle of an enormous canyon that looked strangely familiar. There were about 15 buildings or so, most were really long and formed in a straight line, probably the cabins I'd be staying in, others were more widespread. Soldiers were everywhere, all wearing the same armor doing archery or sword fighting or. . .reading? Why in the world are they reading?

Before I could think further on that, the Captain said "Let's get this over with Rider." Then he started walking toward the base. Gee, don't get too excited Cap.

I followed closely behind. "The last time you said that to me, I was going to be hanged."

His back was to me, but I swear I could see him grin. "Don't remind me." he replied and kept marching.

We walked past the archery field and I stared at their targets, every single one hit the bull's eye. "So. . .when do I get to meet this commanding officer?"

"Believe me you don't want to."

"You speaking from experience?" I asked already knowing the answer.

Before he could a loud drumming noise came from one of the bunks. All the soldiers dropped whatever they were doing, grabbed their weapons, and filed into columns. Quite a few of 'em tripped over themselves getting into a line as if this were a life-or-death situation. And me, being the idiot that I was at the time, stood there staring at them dumbstruck, what was I supposed to do?

The Captain just rolled his eyes at me and said like it was obvious, "Don't just stand there Rider, file in."

I mumbled something back like, "Oh, right." That just made him roll his eyes again.

I filed in as casually as I could, avoiding the stares of other soldiers looking to see who the new guy was when the drumming stopped, and a lone soldier stepped out of the last cabin. We all shared the same uniforms but his helmet gave away the seniority, his red feathers went from side to side instead of the usual back to front. It made his head look like a little sun from far away. No doubt, this was the commanding officer.

He was walking casually past the columns, inspecting each with just a glance when the Captain came up to him, saluted, and said something to him privately. He nodded in response and started walking up to where I stood. I finally got a good look at him now. His helmet covered most of his face except the eyes, mouth, and nose; he was tall, and somewhat thin but muscular as well. The closer he got the more familiar he looked. Where have I seen him before?

He came face to face with me and smiled. His brown eyes were stern, intimidating, but also. . .welcoming, and warm at the same time, they seemed so familiar. Then he spoke, "Hello Eugene." His accent was strange and foreign, but I recognized it immediately. There was only one person I know with that voice and my eyes widened in shock. Could it really be?

"Mr. Thames?" I asked.

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Ha-ha ha-ha, I love being evil, try it it's too fun to resist. Review or else… :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Ask and you shall receive. . .a fast update! Aren't I so nice :) Enjoy.**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: You really think so? I thought I did horrible, well at least until I saw your review. You sure know how to cheer up a guy. Thanks, there are no words to describe my appreciation.**

**Ashlierthw: Awwh, thanks. I'm still working on the relationship between them and I have quite a few nasty surprises in store. Not cruel but very complex.**

**P.s. I do NOT, I repeat: NOT own Tangled. Ok my just a little…nope.**

Chap 10

Eugene's POV

He nodded, still grinning as if I had finally managed to keep my elbows off the table and stop slouching. And just to prove a point, he took off his helmet to reveal his usual silky black hair, 5 o'clock shadow, and amused face.

Oh. My. God. 'He's the officer?' I thought as a million other questions swarmed into my head all at once. Why didn't he tell me? Is this for real? Why him of all people? Was he really as tough as everyone thought? But the only words that came out were "You're the officer?" I really couldn't decide what else to say. Anything that didn't sound stupid or offensive died in my throat.

He nodded again. "You never suspected a thing. I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed." He said with his vintage casualness.

"But Mr. Tha-" I started.

He held up his hand for silence and straightened "Over here, it's either Commander, Commander Thames, or sir. Understood cadet!" he said much louder than was necessary, but then I realized we'd been whispering the entire time and it was attracting the stares of the other soldiers.

I furrowed my brow still a bit shocked at his sudden change of tone. The other soldiers were all staring at me bug-eyed. "Yes. . .sir?" I said hesitantly. I heard loud sighs of relief from them, as if they had been holding their breath waiting for me to say something wrong. They acted like they were concerned for me, even though I'm sure they don't know who I am yet.

"Good." He said then turned to the others. "Dismissed!" he yelled as they all filed out and went back to their activities as if nothing had ever happened, though I did see a few still eye me warily.

"Come Eugene, there's so much to explain and so little time." He said as he patted my shoulder and led me around the base.

"So. . ." I began. Where to start; there was so much to ask. I should probably get to know who the real Mr. Thames was, so I asked "Who are you? I mean really. Are you an etiquette teacher or an officer, it's hard for me to tell?"

His normally relaxed, calm expression turned suspicious as his eyes flickered like a matchstick being lit. Somehow, even without the helmet, the uniform made the look even more intimidating than it already was. "My name. . .is Christopher Thomas Thames. I'm 42 years old and a born citizen of Corona. I'm a teacher, an officer, and so much more. Anything else…" he trailed off. If I didn't know better, I'd say he sounded. . .defensive?

He was starting to look scary. I noticed he acted distant as he said it, and not his usual warm, cool self. It was like he didn't want to talk about himself or his past. Personally, I could really relate to that but now… "You don't sound like you're from here."

"I said I was born here, I never said I was from here." He said coldly.

Note to self: back story's a bit of a touchy subject for Mr. Thames, avoid at all costs. Onto the next question, "What am I supposed to do here?" I asked.

He stopped walking. His eyes flickered again, I saw his face soften and return to its usual calm self. He cocked an eyebrow out me, "Isn't it obvious? A smart boy like yourself can figure it out." Did he just compliment me? One minute he snaps at me, then the next he calls me smart. The man must have some issues.

To answer his question; nope. I was still as confused as ever. My expression must've looked the same way because he sighed and looked down in frustration. "Alright, let me explain." He said as we resumed our walk.

"You, and five others, know…the king has taken ill and an all out war is soon likely to follow his passing."

I nodded, "Check."

"You know…that once he does, you'll be next in line for the throne and you haven't got the slightest clue how to run a kingdom. Everyone in Corona already knows that by the way."

Gosh, no one really has any faith in me. Unsurprising, but it still hurt. "Okay…check."

"What you may not know…is that I was chosen to train you for war so on that fateful day…" he stopped and turned to face me "You will be at my side, as a warrior of Corona and help me lead all these men before you to victory against the enemy. Only then will you understand the meaning of true leadership." He finished.

His expression was as serious as a heart attack. This was all too much to take in. How was I supposed to lead them to victory? I was speechless for god knows how many times this month.

"A bit overwhelming isn't it?" he said sarcastically while smiling wryly.

"Ya think?" I said irritated.

He furrowed his brow and replied "Is that anyway to talk to your superiors, cadet?" his voice was slightly sarcastic but there was a hint of seriousness in it. I probably shouldn't test it.

I sighed in defeat. "No sir."

He patted me on the shoulder again; his expression was calm but concerned. "Relax Eugene. You're among friends here, and if there's anything you need, anything at all, just stop by my office. It's the building next to the armory." He nodded over to one of the smaller buildings at the center of the base.

I smiled knowing that I'll never fully understand the man next to me. . .but I sure as hell will respect him more than anyone I've ever met. "Thank you, sir." I replied.

He smiled back. "Oh, before I forget. Here take this." He said pulling out and handing me a piece of parchment and a pen. He carries a piece of paper and a pen with him?

"What's it for?" I asked taking it.

"Write to her, no doubt she'll be worried about you. I'll deliver it when I see her tomorrow for class. I am still her etiquette teacher you know."

I looked up at him in awe. This is great; Rapunzel and I can still communicate to each other.

"Although I will have to read over it, just so you don't give away any 'sensitive information'." He added.

I pretended to look hurt and held a hand over my heart. "After all this time, you really don't trust me."

He just cocked an eyebrow in response. Is it me or was this a serious case of déjà vu here?

"One last thing," he continued. "This is where you'll be staying from now on," he gestured to the cabin right beside us that I hadn't even noticed was there next to me. "And I meant it literally that you're among friends."

I looked inside and couldn't believe what I saw; 3 unruly men in armor were shouting at each other. One of them was short, bald, and had a hook for a left hand, another was taller, skinny, and had a nose that looked like a squashed pickle, and the last was a humongous man with long horns on his helmet. It was Hook-hand, Big Nose, and Vladimir. They were too busy arguing to notice me standing outside but I didn't mind.

"Signed up a week ago. They're more like brawlers than warriors but that'll change once I'm once with 'em and at least they're experienced." Commander Thames said.

"Welcome to the Helios brigade, cadet Fitzherbert." He said then saluted.

I straightened, pocketed the pen and parchment, and saluted back. 'It's official' I thought as he walked away to his office. 'I'm a soldier now.'

**A/N: I know it's shorter than usual but that's only because it's one POV. And don't forget to. . .REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys, school's been absolutely hectic on me this week and I think it's having an impact on my writing, so feel free to criticize anything that seems wrong. If it wasn't for the reviews, I honestly would've given up on this story by now. So I want to SHOUT OUT to all you amazing people who review, you give me so much confidence.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**P.s. I own nothing.**

Chap 11

Rapunzel's POV

What did I do? Why did I let him leave? Today's only the first morning without Eugene and I already feel like an emotional wreck. The words Mr. Thames told me to say only got me through the rest of the day without a single feeling of doubt or regret. But now, not seeing him when I wake up, not seeing him sit next to me at breakfast. . .it's too much for me. We've never been separated for more than a few hours. I don't think I can get through the rest of the week, let alone 2 months without crying myself to sleep thinking about him. And then there was also Dad to think about.

He's still a picture of health on the outside. But you could tell there was something wrong by his heavy breathing and his longer rests. Mom's never let him out of her sight, and a few days ago I walked in on her crying. She told me she was worried about Dad and that he might leave sooner than we thought. I don't blame her; they've been married for almost 20 years now.

The entire mood of the palace just seemed so depressing. You could tell by the faces of the guards, the servants, and even Pascal who didn't bother changing out of that sad dark blue color, you could tell by how the sun just doesn't shine as brightly as before, you can even tell by the feeling of emptiness from looking around the halls, once filled with happiness are now eerily silent. But life goes on, whether we want it to or not.

Currently, I'm in the dining hall for etiquette class with Mr. Thames starring wistfully at the seat next to me. That's where Eugene used to sit next to me, sometimes he would just brush his hand against mine, make some witty or sarcastic comment that would make me giggle, and only to get a slap on the head for not paying attention from Mr. Thames, which would just make me laugh louder.

Life was so simple back then.

I was interrupted out of those thoughts when I heard "Your highness," I looked up to see Mr. Thames look of concern. "Is everything alright? You don't seem to be paying attention."

"Oh sorry, I'm fine please continue." I lied giving him a half-hearted, sheepish smile. I knew he wouldn't buy it for second, but I couldn't bring myself to say otherwise. Who knows how emotional I might get if I talk about Eugene. I didn't want to make Mr. Thames feel uncomfortable, and people were ALWAYS uncomfortable whenever I would get emotional or cry.

He shook his head in pity and mumbled, almost to himself. "This palace is full of horrible liars." Not really the reaction I expected but he could read me like a book. "I'm going to take a wild guess here and say you were thinking about Mr. Fitzherbert." Again with the sarcasm, I thought resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Did I forget to mention the man's also a mind reader?

But I nodded sadly, focusing back on Eugene. "I miss him." I said a little shaky.

"And he misses you more. So much so, he got distracted during archery practice daydreaming about you and some poor officer got shot in the leg." He said shaking his head wistfully.

I was taken aback by his response and looked up at him in concern and horror. "That's terrible. Is he going to be ok?"

"Well, luckily Mr. Fitzherbert isn't very skilled with a crossbow or else they would've had to amputate." My expression turned to one of awe (in a completely sad and pitiful way) for the man to survive it. I'm sure it was an accident and Eugene better have apologized. "But it was patched up in a matter of minutes, and he's going to be just fine." He added quickly.

That was a relief. I almost forgot about that horrible feeling of emptiness and loneliness in the pit of my stomach. Almost.

"When. . .when do you think he'll come back?" I asked getting a little teary eyed.

He sighed. "Most likely during your father's final days and for the funeral, of course. But…he'll have to leave soon after that, in order to prepare for the war."

That stupid war. That's the reason we aren't together right now; some self centered neighbor of ours is so greedy and heartless he's willing to invade kingdoms left and right just to make himself feel all-powerful. And Eugene's one of the men standing in his way. In some strange way, I felt...proud of him. Proud he's willing to put his life on the line just to defend my parent's kingdom. Proud. . .but overwhelmingly terrified.

The mere thought of Eugene dying or getting in harm's way again was enough for tears to unwillingly escape me. I imagined Eugene lying on the ground in a pool of blood, cut and bruised all over. There was no one to help him, no one save him, and I didn't have my healing powers anymore. That thought only made more tears come out.

I heard Mr. Thames sigh as he laid a hand on my shoulder "Rapunzel." He said softly, but I didn't respond and just hung my head in sorrow.

"Rapunzel, look at me." when I didn't he said it again firmer, like it was an order. "Look at me."

I obeyed and looked him straight in the eyes as he gripped my shoulders. They were hard and serious, I've never seen that look from him; it was almost intimidating. "Nothing will happen to Eugene under my watch. Nothing, understand? You have to stay strong, princess. For your sake and his. Stay strong, you can do it."

I nodded and dried my tears with my sleeve as I gave him an understanding smile. He believed in me. He said I could do be strong. I was grateful for his reassurance and confidence. He's never lied to me, why start now?

He smiled back and said "Here" as he took a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. "This should keep you going for a while longer. It's a letter from Eugene."

I stared at the paper as I took it from him, this time with excitement and anticipation. What could he have written? Is he as depressed as I am without him? Was he having a good time over there?

"Well," I heard Mr. Thames say before he swung a satchel over his shoulder and stood up. "I'll leave you to it then. There's some personal business I have to take care of, class is dismissed." He finished and started walking, but there was this little, squeaky sound as he did. Like feet being dragged over marble. And then, something white caught my eye. I looked over and saw a white cloth wrapped around Mr. Thames's lower right leg. It was a cast, and he really was limping.

Was he…? Did Eugene just…? Oh. That's what he meant by 'under my watch'.

I pushed those thoughts out once I saw the door close behind him and refocused on the letter in my hand. Slowly, I unfolded it with the utmost care and touch. Once opening it was accomplished, I read it and it said…

!#$%^&*()

Eugene's POV

Yesterday

Galileo once said 'Man is a rational animal.' Don't ask me how I know that, it was just something I unintentionally picked up. Anyway, the minute I walked into the cabin, I knew Galileo never met a thug turned soft. I was met not by three nice friendly ex-ruffians who I'd befriended, but by three loud annoying men arguing about the most irrational, idiotic thing possible for a pub thug; does Goldie look better as a brunette or a blonde?

I really wasn't in the mood to join that type of conversation, considering I've already had it with Rapunzel herself which, to make a long story short, ended in sobs for her lost hair. It was torture having to watch her get all emotional over something that had almost gotten both of us killed over. Though she did look cuter as a blonde…

But I owed it to them to at least say "Hey guys." While I casually leaned on the door.

Luckily, or maybe unluckily, that got their attention as I had six angry eyes stare at me. "How's your day goin? And did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?" I asked Flynnishly. I still have minor Flynn moments from time to time, if you must know.

The anger faded from their eyes when they saw it was just their old buddy Eugene. "Oh great. We've got another wise mouth in this place." Hook Hand said sarcastically rolling his eyes.

"What?" I replied. "No 'Hey pal, welcome to the base. Hope you enjoy your stay here'."

He cocked an eyebrow in response, "Does this place look like an inn to you?"

I just shook my head "Never mind. What are you guys doing here? I figured you'd all be out living your dreams by now."

All three of them looked away, and developed a sudden interest in the walls and their boots. It was like they were embarrassed or shy, especially Hook Hand.

It was Big Nose's turn to speak now, "Yeah. . .well, all the guys have gone legit now. But true love doesn't really put bread and butter on the table these days." He answered rubbing his neck. "Neither do ceramic unicorns." Vladimir added sadly.

I looked at Hook Hand waiting for his answer, and all I got was "I don't want to talk about it." He replied sternly, but there was a bit of. . .hurt in his voice. Why's that?

"He burned down a restaurant while performing and got banned." Big Nose answered for him. That made Hook Hand angry, so he tackled him and started punching. I leaped up to get Hook off, luckily I didn't need to. Vlad did all the work; he was too big and too strong even for the both of them. "You bastard!" Hook yelled while Vlad kept the two off each other. "You said you would tell nobody!"

It took a few minutes for him to calm down but he still looked angry at Big Nose. I held my hands up in surrender "I didn't hear a thing." I reassured him. That should keep him cool for a while.

He mumbled something back like "You'd better have."

There was a silent pause before I asked "So, if you guys are here. Who's takin care of the Snuggly Duckling?"

"Ulf and Shorty." Vlad answered.

Ok, I may not be the most business savvy person when it comes to management, but I wouldn't trust those guys to even wash cups let alone the entire pub. "You left the Snuggly Duckling with the mime and the drunk who dresses like Cupid?" I said with my mouth almost hung open.

"Believe it or not, they've actually fixed up the place and it finally broke even." Big Nose said.

Before I could respond, I heard the drumming noise from earlier echoing through the place. I groaned and smacked my forehead in irritation. "What is it this time?" I asked.

"Time for the worst training session of your life." Hook Hand replied. Then they all looked at me with smug expressions and a mischievous look in their eyes like this was some inside joke they shared. I had a feeling they're only doing it because it's true. That kind of terrified me a bit.

Is it too late to go back to etiquette class?

"Come on pretty boy, time to meet your worst nightmare." Hook added as he dragged me by my armor straps back outside.

Yep, it's too late.

**A/N: I have good news and bad news**

**Good: The action scenes are finally coming up! Get ready to see (read, in your case) blood, sweat, and tears!**

**Bad: Due to uncontrollable circumstances (a.k.a my education), I feel so smart saying that :), I will take longer to update than usual. BUT keep reading this, you have no idea about the surprises I have in store *moving eyes left and right suspiciously while smiling evilly***


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Phew, finally I found the time to write. I'm sure you've all been dying for this chapter. . .or maybe not. Come on, 1 review really? Ok 2 technically but the second didn't count. The one time I have a horrible day and don't tell you to review cuz I think it's too demanding of me, you don't review! Anyway, this weekend has worked wonders on my mood and I'm feeling great now. Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: For being the only one to write an actual review, here's a cookie (::) you deserve it.**

**P.s. I don't own Tangled**

Chap 12

Eugene's POV

Once we were outside, and Hook finally stopped dragging me by the straps, we walked around the base for a while before I saw a group of 30 or so soldiers making a large circle around two figures. We drew closer and I saw the figures were in full armor, one with a small helmet and white gloves while the other wore a helmet covering most of his face and had red feathers going from side to side. Both were armed with spears and shields but I was shocked to notice who the two figures were none other than the Captain and Mr. Thames. . .and they were dueling.

They were circling each other like a pact of dogs, eagerly waiting for the other to strike first. Mr. Thames was positioned as if he were scorpion; his spear held high over his head like a tail, and his shield blocking most of his body from view so all you could see were the eyes behind the helmet staring coldly at you. His movements were smooth, calculative, and as unflinching as a viper. The Captain's. . .were not. He looked a bit nervous and it was kinda obvious from his posture and the way he shifted his feet quickly.

I peaked over at Hook Hand who looked on with a bored and unamused expression on as if this sort of thing happened often. "Shouldn't we do something?" I asked motioning toward the fight.

Hook just looked at me oddly, "No one ever, EVER interferes in a fight against the commander, and for good reason. But. . .you feel like getting your ass kicked all the way home. Be my guest, Pretty boy."

I stared at him but nodded and turned back to the duel; no action so far. "This usually happens a lot?"

He shrugged in response, "2, maybe 3 times a week. It's just a demo for the new recruits to…you know, get 'em ready for the hard stuff later on. Shows 'em what would really happen in a duel."

"They any good?"

He grinned, "The Commander's unbelievable. Most of us wouldn't last 2 minutes, and that's when he's not tryin to slice your head off. The Captain's got experience and skill, but he's agitated. Look at how he's moving, I'd bet my right hand that he'll-"

Before he could finish, the Captain moved in close and tried to jab Mr. Thames with his spear. But the Commander was fast, as if he were expecting it. He sidestepped to the right just before it would've made contact with his armor. The Captain was left vulnerable and couldn't recover fast enough before Mr. Thames brought his leg down to break his spear with a loud _snap! _He then smacked his shield against him, causing his opponent to stagger back as Mr. Thames quickly regained his posture. His body was low to the ground, shield hanging over his head as if to protect himself from rain, and his bronze spear tip glistening in the mid-day sunlight as he pointed it threateningly toward the Captain, as if to say 'Come and get some'.

The Captain shook off his setback, drew his sword, and charged again; swinging left and right like a maniac. Mr. Thames just calmly dodged, ducked, or sidestepped each swing; not even bothering to strike as if he had all the time in the world. The Captain was getting irritated, and it showed on his face. He was pushing too hard and it wasn't paying off, exhaustion was creping in on him as his movements were slowing with each swing.

The Captain went for another jab to the stomach but it deflected off his shield but before he could recover again, Mr. Thames kicked him square in the chest and the Captain went down and landed on his ass. The Commander took the opportunity to finally strike; with his spear in hand he ran and leapt in the air with incredible speed and agility, like a cheetah, as he sent the weapon to his target.

I couldn't watch this, so I averted my eyes. I might not like the Captain but I couldn't watch the man die. Oh wait, I forgot this is just a demonstration. I reopened my eyes and. . .as expected the Captain doesn't have a spear running through him, luckily, but he was sitting up with a look of shock, and then I noticed why. The spear just happened to be implanted less than an inch away from where his. . . I'll call it his 'private area' cuz I'd be horribly uncomfortable saying 'it' and the Captain in the same sentence. The commander removed the spear and offered the Captain his hand in a sign of peace; he took it, reluctantly I might add, and stood up.

Hook Hand whispered next to me, "Two minutes, what I tell ya."

Commander Thames then turned to the men surrounding them and spoke. "And that Gentleman is a real duel. It's not about how hard you swing; it's about timing, it's about posture, and of course it's also about endurance. That. . .is what you'll be learning today; endurance." He grabbed a crossbow off one of the men, raised it up to the sky, and pulled the trigger. We watched it soar high until it finally it landed on the top of a small, rocky hill in the distance. It must've been a good ½ kilometer away.

"Strap up, everyone. We're going for a run." Commander Thames finished.

Hook grinned devilishly at me, "I'd wish you luck. . .but there isn't any where you're goin." He said then gave me a pat on the back before heading back to the cabins.

!#$%^&*()

1 hour later

Torture, pure torture! The man is a monster! I thought we were going for a 'run' but instead we were basically crawling the last 50 meter UPHILL! We were in full armor, and if that wasn't enough, Commander Thames made us hold 4 extra, heavy shields; 2 on our backs and the other 2 in each arm. Once the other 30 soldiers and I had reached where the arrow landed, we all collapsed on the rocky ground in exhaustion. I finally had a good look at the other men on the way, and let's just say they were all young men and quite a few of 'em weren't 'up to standard' on the physical level. 'Poor kids' I thought. Probably were forced or persuaded into joining the place. Some of 'em didn't even look old enough to join in the first place.

And then it went from worse. . .to horrible. "GET UP LADIES! BACK TO BASE FOR ARCHERY!" Commander Thames yelled, we all groaned, loudly. "NO COMPLAINING!" he shouted back, we stopped mid-groan.

I had willed myself to look up at him, he had walked with us all the way with the same amount of armor and was even the first person to reach the top, but he was still standing strong and barely even panting. What is he, an animal?

None of us really had the energy to walk downhill, except Mr. Thames, so there was a little incident when we just rolled down that might've caused a small accident at the bottom where we all crashed into each other. Commander Thames shook his head in pity and had to pull us to our feet.

After we found our footing, we managed to walk to the archery field without any assistance. The Captain was waiting for us there with a line of crossbows spread over the floor next to our targets.

He had one hanging over his shoulder and demonstrated how to handle it as he said "Today we'll be testing your accuracy in shooting, archers are some of the most strategic assets and one of the few people used in long range warfare. They're used for both attack and defense so accuracy is absolutely critical. Cadets, fall in and take aim; on my mark your fire. Understood?"

There were a few nods and unenthusiastic 'yes sir's until Commander Thames stepped up and yelled "UNDERSTOOD CADETS?" we all nodded and replied louder 'Yes sir!' but, at least for the other men, it was more out of fear than genuine excitement.

He smiled proudly and said, "Good, now take aim." We all obeyed, held our bows as demonstrated, and stared at the bull's eye as he walked over to the Captain to speak to him in private. They kept mumbling back and forth to each other, and they were too far away for any of us to eavesdrop.

But for some reason, I was having a really hard time keeping focused; I thought back to the palace and how everyone was doing. I imagined the place should really be quiet right now. . .you know, with the king being sick and me gone in all. Rapunzel must be bored out of her mind; she's probably sitting outside her balcony staring out into the town beyond the gates with that adorable, but absently sad longing look of hers. Her hair long enough to almost reach her shoulders, wearing that light purple dress I bought for her as a late birthday present, the one that shows her thin but curvy frame and really brings out her emerald green eyes. . .

"CADET FITZHERBERT!" someone yelled over to my right.

I snapped out of those thoughts and in a frenzy, I turned to the direction of the voice and accidentally pulled the trigger. The next thing I saw wasn't pretty; Mr. Thames had an arrow in his right leg, just above the ankle. His eyes went wide as his face turned red, I don't know whether it was out of rage or he was trying to hold in a scream of pain. He mumbled something to the Captain through grit teeth, who happened to be keeping him balanced on one leg. He said something back but Commander Thames cut him off with a firm glare and mumbled something again.

"You two!" the Captain said to two of the larger cadets among us. They took a step back in fear but the Captain added, "Take the Commander to the infirmary, and make sure he gets treated immediately." They nodded and said 'yes sir' before helping him walk out of the field.

The Captain then turned to me and he didn't too happy. "Back to your cabin, soldier." He ordered.

"Captain, it was an-"

"Back. To. Your cabin. Soldier." He interrupted firmly.

I probably shouldn't argue with him, I figured he was letting me off lightly considering I had just shot a commanding officer. "Yes sir." I replied and walk off, feeling everyone's eyes on me as I left.

When I got back, the place was empty. 'Great, just great' I thought. 'Nothing to do except lay down and stare at boring, grey ceiling all day.' I ran a hand through my hair, took off my armor, and just sat down on some random bed, not that I gave a damn who's it was. 'What am I doing here?' I thought. 'I'm no soldier; I'm not even good with a sword or anything. And don't get me started on my issues with authority. Mr. Thames said I was here to learn about leadership, and how is shooting arrows or running half a kilometer leadership? With me being useless and the way things are going the way they are, what reason do I have for staying?'

I thought about that as I saw something on the floor; it was a piece of paper and a pen, the one Mr. Thames gave me to write to Rapunzel.

I picked it up and stared at it. 'This is why I'm here. I'm here so I can be good enough to be king one day. So I could be worthy enough to be with her. I'll prove those people wrong. I'll prove to everyone that I have what it takes.' That thought gave me new confidence as I picked up the pen and started writing my letter.

_Dear Rapunzel,_

_How're you holdin up without me? Cause I'm not. Today's been a bit. . .rough. Moving into a new place, meeting the other soldiers (by the way, Hook Hand, Big Nose, and Vladimir are here too, so at least I have a few friends), accidentally shooting Mr. Thames, who happens to be the officer in charge here, in the leg. I managed to get by some training without losing too much blood. . .just kidding! You have absolutely nothing to worry about; I'm actually feeling alright at the moment._

_I miss you Blondie, more than you know. I couldn't stop thinking about you today, which happened to be the reason Mr. Thames got shot, but still, I can't wait to see you. I hope you're doing alright, because I want you to know now I'm only doing this for you. Maybe if I do well here, I could ask Mr. Thames to take me with him back to Corona just for a day, how's that sound?_

_Anyway, tell your parents, Pascal, Max, and anyone else it may concern I said hi and I'm doing fine. Just remember, I will come back. . .who knows I might even bring my shield with me. Stay strong and write back to me will you? I need to know what's goin on in that adorable head of yours._

_Love, your dashingly rogue cadet, Eugene Fitzherbert._

_And P.s. I love you. (Sound's cheesy I know, but I really mean it)_

**A/N: REVIEW! Or else I'll have to kill someone important. You wouldn't want that would you? **

**JK :P I might be evil but not that evil. So just click that little button with the bubble next to it, who knows. . .you might just get a cookie.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Wow! 8 reviews! You guys rule and I couldn't leave you guys waiting long. So I've made a few decisions as of late, 1) Someone important is gonna die, who and how I'll never tell till the very end, remember all is fair in love and war ;) 2) The next few chapters will be 2 weeks each for 8 week switching between Eugene and Rapunzel's POV, just to make it flow better and faster. Enjoy!**

**Dear review:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: HAHA, another chapter, guess I'm not in trouble :P**

**Reverend Lovejoy: Finally, someone appreciated the action in that scene! I know how you feel about the Captain and don't worry it's not him.**

**Nikkibecket1997: *Ding Ding Ding* we have a winner! Yes it is the underworld and remember that for later it's important. On the back story, I all ready got one planned and it'll blow your socks off.**

**Thank you all reviewers and. . .COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! :D**

**P.s. I own nothing, except my creativity.**

Chap 13

Week one: Rapunzel's POV

What a difference a week and a few paragraphs on a piece of paper can make. I wrote back to him and Eugene and I had decided to write a minimum of 2 letters to each other a week. And ever since. . .I've never felt lonelier. I didn't think it was possible, but now I miss him even more. The letters he sent were so sweet I couldn't go a day without reading them one last time. He wrote that he was concerned for me, that he was coming back one day, and most of all. . .he wrote that he loved me again.

But every time I read it, I'd jump and skip around the palace in complete happiness. The smile and excitement on my face so wide, I thought my face would get stuck like that. That is until the reality that Eugene still isn't here hits me, and I go back to being a depressed, miserable lump that has to force herself to walk anywhere other than her room.

Sadly, I just happened to be doing that right now. I was walking around for what seemed like hours looking for something, anything, to take my mind off how cruel life is. I've memorized every passage, corridor, and room in the palace; I knew that about 2 corridors down was the throne room where my parents would usually attend meetings and ceremonies. But that didn't make me feel any less lost.

I really wasn't planning on going anywhere and I finished all my lessons, excluding etiquette, over an hour ago. I could really use a nice, quiet walk now.

I took a left at some statue of a man in a toga with olive branches on his head, and I found I wasn't the only one who was in need of a walk.

My mother was around the corner, staring at one of the paintings hung on the wall with an absently blissful expression on.

Curiosity forced me to walk toward her, wanting to know what she was mesmerizing over. I tip-toed as quietly as I could, not wanting to disturb her little moment; Mom's been having a rough week. Dad's trying to act as normally as possible, but everyday it gets a little bit harder than the last. And we've all noticed.

Without even looking away from the painting she said, "I know you're there Rapunzel."

Damn, I really thought my 'sneaking around' skills were improving, oh well. I sighed and walked normally beside her. "What gave it away?"

She took her eyes of the painting to look up and smile at me, "Motherly instincts." She said before gazing back at it.

Then I noticed the painting was actually a portrait. There were two boys who looked about 14-15ish, leaning on each other's shoulder with wide, happy grins. One boy had short dark brown hair, strong handsome features, and deep brown eyes. He looked so familiar. . .. The other boy was about half an inch taller with a light tan, dirty blonde hair, a mischievous smile, and playful sky blue eyes. They both looked so happy, but why was Mom staring at this particular one?

Then I saw something around the brown-haired boys' neck; a gold medallion, with the sun of Corona on it. I've only seen that chain on. . .

"Is that. . .Dad?" I asked hesitantly.

She smiled, "Yes. Yes it is."

"I haven't looked at this picture in years," she continued. "Those were happier days."

I narrowed my eyes at the other boy in the portrait; who could it be and how did he know Dad?

"Who's the other boy?" I asked.

Her smile faded as her eyes grew sad and distant, "He used to be a friend once. His name is William of Tortuga, and he's the king planning to invade Corona."

I gazed at the boy's face in shock and awe; he looked so harmless and innocent, not cold and evil like the servants or guards had told me. What could have turned him into the greedy, ruthless person everyone in the palace thought he was?

"Why is he doing this?" I asked confused. "What does he want with Corona?"

She shook her head and pursed her lips in response, the way she always does when something unpleasant or depressing came up in discussion. "I wish I knew, darling. If your father knows, he hasn't told me anything." She sounded as hurt and confused as I did.

"But what I do know is that relations between Corona and Tortuga haven't been friendly since I married your father."

I stared at her curiously. That certainly grabbed my attention. "What do you mean?"

She let out a sigh and lost her posture as she rubbed her temples, as if my question caused her a headache. I started feeling a bit guilty, Mom's been through enough stress already, I didn't want to make it worse.

I laid my hand on her shoulder in concern, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I reassured her.

She shook her head and regained her posture. "No no, it's not that. It's just. . ." she sighed again and said, more to herself than me, "I'm getting too old for this drama. But you deserve to know."

Now that she mentioned it, her hair did have a few strands of gray here and there; not much but still, it's as if she aged a whole year in just a month. I didn't take a genius to figure out why.

"What ever happened between him and Dad?" I asked; the suspense of not knowing was building in my chest as the look in my eyes pleading for an answer. There has to be a reason why he wants to invade our kingdom. No one does something like that without a purpose.

She took a few seconds to collect herself before saying, "When this portrait was painted, Marcus and William were as close as two princes could be. They were almost like brothers."

"Marcus?" I said confused.

She smiled and explained, "Your father's first name." then continued. "William used to spend the summers here in Corona. His father wasn't a very loving man, so the king sent him here whenever he grew tired of Will's attitude. This was like a second home to him, he loved coming here and the royal family absolutely adored having him around." The look on her face as she said it was like the one from earlier; wistfully bliss.

"I was born into a family of nobles and one night, my family was invited to a ball at the palace and. . .that's where I first saw your father and Will. And your grandmother, being the matchmaker she thought she was, introduced me to them since we were all the same age. Will and I became good friends after that; Marcus and I. . .completely despised each other." She let out a small laugh recalling the memories.

My eyes were wide in shock. I'm a very strong believer in love at first sight, so it really surprised me knowing my parents didn't like each other-on sight-.

"Go on." I encouraged her. This was getting good and Mom seemed really happy talking about the three of 'em back then.

"As I was saying, we hadn't gotten along very well. We'd basically scream at each other every time we were in the same room. It was always over the little things; his arrogant, childish behavior, my disciplined, uptight attitude as your father liked to put it. Anyway, Will had to act as a. . .mediator between the two of us so we wouldn't keep going at each other's throats, and. . .it worked. A bit too well; Marcus started falling for me."

I knew it! Of course they'd fall in love, just look at them, they're perfect for each other.

But then, her smile faded again as she looked down in sadness. "The sad part is. . ." she continued, "so did Will."

**A/N: Yes yes, it's shorter but that way you get faster updates. REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope you guys really like it. No doubt I know you will so grab onto your socks, I'm about to drop a bombshell. Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: Ha ha, your review really made me laugh when I saw it, just wait till you finish this chapter.**

**ThunderStorm7916: Concerning Eugene and Rapunzel. . .maybe, you never know. Yes, I'm that evil I won't even tell.**

**Thank you to all reviewers!**

Chap 14

Week 3: Eugene's POV

"AAHH!" Vladimir roared as he charged at me, an axe in one hand and a shield way too small for the giant thug in the other. To make matters worse, he was in full armor and had a sword and an extra dragger strapped to his belt. His signature rams horned helmet was newly sharpened and glistened in the sunlight as his cold brown eyes showed no sign of mercy or remorse. I stood my ground with my armor and sword drawn, not daring back down from the larger, scarier man coming at me. I was ready for a fight.

Had this happened a few weeks ago, I would've gone running for the hills. Not even Flynn Rider, no matter how brave I might've portrayed him to be, would be stupid enough to stay put while a 500 pound, armed to the tooth thug was about to tear him to shreds. A small testament of how much has changed in just 3 short weeks.

Vlad was getting closer as I planted my feet in the dirt beneath me. I had to think strategy; he's bigger, stronger, and a hell of a lot more aggressive. . .but not faster, or more agile. That's what I've gotta use. 'When you're the smaller man, go for your opponent's base and footing. Keep him down and never, EVER, engage head-on until he's grounded. Remember, it's about timing, posture, and endurance.' A voice in my head told me. And the strange thing was. . .it was Mr. Thames's voice.

He was now almost 10 feet from me; I prepared myself for what I needed to do. When he got close enough, he swung his axe forcefully. I ducked just in the nick of time and kicked him in the thigh. He staggered, but was still standing; so kicking didn't work. Vlad turned back around and charged again, this time he swung downward as if to split my skull open. I sidestepped but Vlad was faster than I thought. He recovered and swung again, I held my shield up on instinct as the axe made contact with my only defense. I was still alive but the force was too great, I dropped my sword as I fell to the ground from the impact.

As quickly as I could, I managed to stand back up. I noticed my sword had landed behind Vladimir. I couldn't fight with just a shield so I did the stupidest thing I could think of; I charged, but so did he. 'Go for his legs,' the voice of Commander Thames told me 'use his momentum against him.' Before we would've crashed, I slid in between his legs and grabbed his ankle.

He went down with a loud _thud!_ I quickly went for my sword as Vlad got back on his knees. 'Oh no you don't.' I thought. I ran toward him, jumped, and kneed him in the jaw. He fell back as I pointed my sword at his neck in victory. I had won.

_Clap, clap, clap._

I looked over to see who was clapping. It was Mr. Thames on top of a black horse in civilian clothes with a satchel over his shoulder. It looked like he just got back from the kingdom.

"Not bad, not bad at all. The high knee was very creative of you." He complimented, looking a bit impressed. "What do you think Cadet Gorton?"

'Who?' I thought. I turned around and saw Vlad was back to his feet, rubbing his jaw. "Lucky shot."

Commander Thames smiled at him. "Now now, Cadet Fitzherbert does have some talent. The entire base would agree knocking you down is no small feat."

Vlad mumbled resentfully, still rubbing his jaw.

Mr. Thames slid off his horse and handed the reins to him. "Take the old boy to the stables for me, then tell the men to pack up. They're going home for the weekend."

He looked up at him in shock, but then grinned and took the reins with a nod and a 'yes sir'.

I perked up; did he just say what I thought he said? "Sir?" I asked hesitantly.

"You boys deserve a couple days to relax. I know I've been pushing you all to your limit but it's not healthy getting over worked."

"I can go back to the palace then. I can go see Rapunzel." I asked, my enthusiasm growing by the second.

He put on a warm smile. "Yes. Yes you can. . ." and then it faded into a sad expression. "But there're a few things we have to take care of."

My enthusiasm left me as he said that. "What do you mean?" I asked questioningly.

"I've come across some. . .information I need to speak with you about. And this isn't the best place to discuss the matter." He sounded defensive as he said 'information'. "But," He continued, "If you come with me, I'll personally escort you back to the palace tomorrow."

What is it? What could be so important I had to wait another day before seeing Rapunzel again?

I agreed, suspiciously albeit. Guess I'll just have to find out.

"Where to?" I asked after I finished packing my stuff and changing clothes. News spread fast of our little 'break' and everyone in the entire base was piling luggages and bags on carts waiting to send 'em home.

"A pub, I could really use a drink." He replied.

!#$%^&*()

The Snuggly Duckling: Nighttime

We went to the Snuggly Duckling. Truthfully, I shouldn't have been surprised. It was probably the closest, if not only, pub outside the towns in the kingdom, and he said we weren't going to the palace, so no town.

What did surprise me was the interior of the place when I entered the door. It was like I was in a completely different pub. First of all, the place was clean, spotless even, not a trace of blood or dirt or rodent infestation anywhere. The tree branches running through the ceiling and walls were trimmed and decorated, the flooring was tiled in stones, it got a new paint job, but most shocking of all; it smelled like. . .lavender?

Guess the guys weren't lying when he said the place was fixed up. But still, some things never change. The pub was packed with the usual thugs laughing, drinking, and fighting.

They acknowledged my presence with a nod or a grin when they saw me. Then, I felt a hard pat on my back and an arm swing over my shoulder. It was just Hook Hand, "What I tell ya Pretty boy. Place is pretty nice ain't it?"

I shrugged and made an unimpressed face. "I've seen better." That little comment got the attention of the ENTIRE pub and before I knew it, there were dozens of swords, axes, and knives pointed at my face. 'So much for hospitality.' I thought. "Fine, the place looks terrific." I said genuinely. Most of 'em relaxed after that, except Gunther, you know, the interior design guy.

Mr. Thames appeared next to me with a bottle of vodka and two glasses as we sat down at the far side of the pub alone.

He uncapped the bottle, filled the glasses, and held it up. "Cheers." He said.

"To what?" I asked.

"You'll find out, soon enough." He said before taking a swing of vodka, a long one. He already downed the whole glass and refilled it again.

"Are you trying to get drunk?" I asked a bit concerned now.

He looked at me oddly. "I'd have to be, or else I'd never say what I'm about to."

That got me curious. "And. . .that would be. . .?"

"I'm sorry." He answered without looking at me and downed the glass. I stared at him awestruck, what did he have to apologize for? He's been nothing but helpful to me; I'm the one who should be apologizing, I shot the man.

"Mr. Thames, you have nothing to-"

He held up his hand for silence. "Let me tell you a little story Eugene. A story I have never told to anyone until now. The story of how the man before came to be who he is right now. In other words, my story." he said quietly.

I nodded in understanding. Guess I'll finally get to know his back story.

"When I was a boy living in Corona, I used to think I was in paradise. My father worked as a travelling merchant, he wasn't rich but he made enough to support my mother, my sister, and I. One day, my mother was in labor with a third child and. . .something went wrong. She died giving birth, the baby followed half an hour later." He said trying to stay emotionless and took another drink. "After living in the kingdom our whole lives, my father decided we move after that tragedy. I was 7 years old at the time, and my sister was 10. We were devastated, we loved Corona but his depression was unbearable for him to stay. And so, for the next five years of my life, we moved from every kingdom and empire east of the Mediterranean. My father became clinically depressed and so, he turned to alcohol. Died in a bar fight when I was 12." He said holding up his empty glass.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I replied genuinely. I know how it feels to lose your parents, even though I was only 4 when mine died in a fire. I was too young to fully understand, but still my heart went out for the guy.

"It gets worse." What's worse than being orphaned? "My sister and I had to live on the streets. The orphanages would've separated us if we'd gone to them and she'd never let that happen. Her name was Carla, Carla Rebecca Thames." He smiled at the mentioning of her. "It was a hard life. We never made much money, and we were too old to beg for it. So, I started thieving." I looked at him a little taken aback. 'Mr. Thames stealing?' That was unimaginable for me.

He noticed my look. "Shocking, isn't it." He said sarcastically. "But. . .it was never enough. Carla felt guilty she couldn't do anything, and she disapproved of my activities. She. . ." he was shaking his head slowly, and rubbed his eyes as if tears were about to come out. "She sold herself for money; she was just 15." I saw a tear escape out of his eye as he said that. "That only motivated me to thieve more. I couldn't stand the fact she just. . .sold herself to random men for us to have money. That went on for 4 more years. But one day, when I was 16, there were these men, professional thieves, who offered me a slice in on their job, a huge job. The money was good, good enough she didn't have to keep doing what she did to herself. We would've live comfortably."

He rubbed his eyes again and collected himself. "But then. . .I was betrayed, the other thieves left me to get caught by the police, I even hit one of the policemen. What I didn't know at the time was Carla got arrested too. I spent 6 years in prison, she spent a few months. A year later, she sends me a letter. She said she had gone back home; back to Corona, 'a new start' she called it. She said she met a man, a good honest man and that he had proposed to her. I promised myself when I got out I would go find her." He started shaking his head again in sadness, "I never found her. When I was released, I went straight for Corona. I searched every town and village in the kingdom. No one had ever heard of her."

"After that, I became lost and depressed. Until, I heard about a job. There was this kingdom looking for people to fight in some war and they would pay good money for men. Truth is I was a mercenary. And I was good at what I did. For the next 19 years I fought and killed for money and I used that money to reinvent myself. There were basically two Christopher Thomas Thames; the elegant, charming, self made nobleman skilled in arts and etiquette. . .and the stone cold killing mercenary without a heart." He said the 'mercenary' part steely cold. "But, one day, it hits me. I needed to keep looking for her. I had the resources to do so; I even approached the king of Corona himself to ask if I could go through the records of citizens to look for her. And, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse." He shrugged and poured another glass. "There you have it."

Wow, and I thought my life was messed up. It made me wonder, why the hell was he sharing this with me? It's not like I went through the same experience. And the first day I asked about his back story he got defensive, what changed to make him so open?

"Mr. Thames, that was all touching and everything, but I gotta ask; Why are you telling me this?"

He looked me straight in the eyes and said with all seriousness, "Because you deserve to know."

"I do?" I said as confused as ever.

He nodded. "I found something in the records Eugene. Something that concerns you and me both." He then reached into his satchel and took out a document. "Read it."

I took it and started reading, it was a marriage certificate. Between a Ms. Carla R. Thames and a Mr. . .a Mr. Francis G. Fitzherbert. Oh my God.

"Cheers," Mr. Thames said as he tapped his glass with my untouched drink. "To family."

**A/N: BOOM! Huge surprise, I know. If you're shocked REVIEW. If you're saddened by his back story REVIEW. If you're all riled up by this story. . .well you get my point. REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I know what you're all thinking 'Wahoo! An update! Now he'll finally explain the surprise from that last chap!' and the answer is. . .sort of. I think this is just a filler chap with some fluff but read on, it's important. Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Reverend Lovejoy: My thoughts exactly ;)**

**Disneyisbeautiful: I know, I just love shocking the day-lights out of people X). It was torturing me to hold out my little surprise for that long.**

**Nancy Drew 14: It depends, if you get an account you can get alerts to this story whenever I update it, but the most likely day is Sunday.**

**Glamorous Shellz: Really? I got you a good grade on an essay? Tell me everything! Like what you copied.**

**KreatingMagic: Thank you, I feel really accomplished as a writer when I get those kinds of reviews, and I still have quite a few surprises up my sleeves ;)**

**P.s. I do not own Tangled, though I am thinking about selling Mr. Thames. . .if anyone is interested?**

Chap 15

Week 3.1: Rapunzel's POV

'He's coming! He's finally coming back!' I kept thinking to myself excitedly. Yesterday I got a message from Mr. Thames saying Eugene's been given a few days off and that he'll be arriving with him today. I was in my room with Pascal, trying on every dress or gown in my wardrobe before looking to Pascal, who was lazily lying on my bed, for approval. And with every dress I tried, he nodded somewhat uninterested. I got the feeling he didn't get the gravity of the situation. EUGENE IS COMING BACK, this had to be perfect, and so I disagreed and tossed them on the floor. None of them were good enough for him; none of them were special enough to show how much I missed him. I had to go above and beyond to impress him.

These past few weeks, I've stayed strong without him. There were even a few times I actually enjoyed myself, most of which were in etiquette class where Mr. Thames would just skip the lessons as I talked about whatever was on my mind. It was like an enjoyable version of therapy. But now. . .the anticipation of him finally coming back, of finally having actual contact besides an exchange of letters. . .it was enough for my mind to black out anything not related to his arrival.

I pulled out the last dress in my wardrobe, took one look at Pascal's bored expression and threw it away in disgust. I had nothing to wear except the pink corset I was already dressed in, and the ones on the floor obviously wouldn't do.

_Knock, knock._

Pascal perked up from the noise came from my door. Probably just a servant coming to check on me, they've been doing that a lot nowadays. But if it was, they would've at least said or announced something by now. What time was it anyway? I must've lost track during my little wardrobe challenge. Eugene should be arriving soon

_Knock, knock._

I maneuvered around the mess of fabric on the floor and opened it. Waiting outside, was the one and only. . .Eugene Fitzherbert.

He was wearing his usual black vest on top a white shirt with pants, but he looked. . .rugged. He was noticeably buff; his biceps and chest seemed thicker and more muscular. For some reason, I had this unexplainable urge to reach out and touch them.

I then looked up at his face. For a second, his expression looked worried, but it faded into a happy, eager smile. The kind you get when you've been waiting what seemed like forever to get a present you've been dreaming about and then BAM, it's waiting right in front of you the next day.

Then, as if on cue, we crashed into each other's bodies for a hug. He ran his hand through my dark hair while the other was keeping me pressed to his chest; his wide, firm chest. My hands were running up and down his back, stroking his spine while I rested my head on his shoulder sighing peacefully to myself. 'He's here.' I thought, 'He's finally here.'

And then it got better. Eugene wrapped his arms around my waist, picked me up, and started spinning. I yelped, in a startled but cheery way. Soon enough, I started laughing as I recovered from the surprise and felt the wind blowing in my face. We, more or less, fell onto my bed together; much to the irritation of Pascal, who turned a resentful red, scurried off the bed and out the door. I'll have to remember to make it up to him. Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

Eugene was still grinning; that smug, idiotic, but also handsome grin I've come to know and love dearly. I laid still on the bed, looking into his eyes as he did the same.

"I missed you." I said softly.

He shook his head absently. "Not as much as I missed you." He replied just as softly.

I raised my eyebrows. "Prove it." I challenged.

He let out a short laugh and moved his hand to cup my face. "I thought you'd never ask."

He leaned forward for a kiss and closed his eyes. I followed and when we finally kissed. . .my mind went blank as I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders. All the stress, and worry, and anticipation three weeks in the making melted away with that simple touch. I pulled back, gasping for air. How long had we been kissing?

I sat up with renewed excitement. There was so much I wanted to know, so much I needed to talk about.

"So. . .how's everything?" I asked eagerly.

He stared at me a bit confused, "Excuse me?"

"Well, you haven't sent me a letter in a while, so. . .what's new?"

He looked away for a second while rubbing the back of his neck. When he looked back, he had a nervous smile on. If I didn't know better, I'd say he seemed downright uncomfortable.

He sighed. "Boy, where do I start." He said more to himself than me.

!#$%^&*()

Earlier that day: Eugene's POV

I just had to ask. I just had to open my big mouth and ask why. That morning, we were packed and ready to head to the kingdom. Normally I would've been happy and excited as hell, but all I felt. . .was awkwardness. I hate feeling awkward; it's so uncomfortable and strange, and I've always been known to be a laid-back kinda guy. But then again, how could I not be.

13 years. I spent 13 years in a God damn orphanage while he was off in foreign countries playing soldier. Those were the worst years of my life; I was alone, I was miserable, and I was trouble for other. When I finally turned 17, I packed my bag and just walked out of that crappy excuse for a home without a second thought. I stole to survive, and I sold what I stole to live well off.

We rode in silence for a long, long time. There was only one horse, the black one from yesterday, so I had to sit behind Mr. Thames, which only added to the awkwardness. Yes I'm still calling him Mr. Thames; there's no way in hell I was gonna call him Uncle Chris or anything like that. But then, he spoke.

"I only found out a few days ago, if you were wondering." He said calmly.

"I wasn't, and I didn't ask." I replied coldly.

I didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling now. "Yes, you were. And you didn't have to. But. . .is there any real reason you're being so stubborn?"

I didn't answer.

"Ahh. . .that's why. You feel that I abandoned you, you're angry I gave up searching for your mother." How'd he get all that from me staying silent? "And deep down, you want to know what I know. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

Damn, the man's a mind reader. Not much use in staying mad now. I sighed in defeat, "What were they like?" I asked. That question, had kept me up all night thinking over a lot of memories I wanted to forget.

He took a few seconds before answering, "I never met your father, but Carla had said he was a good, caring, hard working man. Your mother was. . .one of the most amazing people I've ever known. You and she are a lot alike actually; you have her hair, her eyes, and especially her attitude. Boy, did she have an attitude." He shook his head blissfully from the memories. "How did they die?" he asked sounding a bit saddened.

"Our. . .our house burned down from a forest fire." I said absently.

He sighed, "Too young. They're always too young."

I nodded slowly in agreement. After a few silent moments, I looked up ahead and I saw a stone bridge, beyond it there were houses, buildings, and a large palace coming into view from a distance. We made it; we're back in the city.

After a few minutes of navigating through the city traffic, we slid off the horse and stood in front of a large metal gate before us, while two guards were standing by. I noticed they looked nervous, well more than usual. And they were avoiding eye contact, especially with Mr. Thames.

"Open it." He said to one of the guards.

The two scurried to open the gate with a lot of 'Yes Commander' or 'Right away Commander'. They seemed almost scared, though I couldn't blame 'em. He really is one tough, crazy son of a bitch. . .who just happens to be my uncle. But, there was something else too. The air felt tense, like a storm about to be brewing.

"Is there something going on?" I asked him.

His face turned somewhat grim as we walked past the gates and into the court yard. "The king has called for a war counsel to convene. His majesty, the Captain, along with a few other officials and I will be discussing our next move in preparation for the war. To make things worse, I think his condition is fading faster than we expected, no one knows how long he has left to live."

"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked. "I am the future king ya know."

He smiled but shook his head, "Don't burden yourself with the politics. Believe me; you don't want to know what you'll be getting into. And by the way, shouldn't you be visiting a certain young princess by now?" he said looking at me with raised eyebrows.

Crap, how could I forget! That's the whole reason I was here anyway.

"Enjoy the time while it lasts. After this, the real work starts. So get going." He said with a push to my back. I didn't need to be told twice. And with that, I sprinted inside the palace and went to the first place I could think of; her bedroom.

**A/N: One word, REVIEW! If you want a faster update.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey everybody. I have good news and bad news. Good news. . .FAST UPDATE :D even though it's short. Bad news. . .I have like 4 tests/quizzes this week so I might take a little while longer to update. Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: Awwh, thanks a lot. Truthfully I have no idea what OOC stands for, and I see it everywhere on fanfic! But still, thank you. Also concerning your other review, I always envisioned Mr. Thames as an older Gerard Butler, don't know why but it works somehow. **

**P.s. I own nothing.**

Chap 16

Week 5: King Marcus's POV

Shouting. So much shouting, so much arguing over a subject only I have the right to decide over. A right that came with being king; the right to decide between war and peace. I've tried to avoid my decision, hoping that politics or diplomacy can put an end to these tensions. Sadly, it hasn't produced any results.

This is the 4th war council meeting in half as many weeks and still they argue over what should be my decision. On one side, there is Commander Thames, the Captain, and Maximus, the horse who's also the second in command of the guards, arguing that our efforts be spent more on recruiting and training the Helios Brigade. On the other, is my wife Diana and the other lords in my court arguing that we should keep negotiating for William to call off his plans.

My tolerance is thinning with every passing minute of continued yells. I've also grown weaker; my skin is pale, my bones and muscles feel flimsy, and I've lost a considerable amount of weight. My head is aching from this non-stop arguing. I am the one who has the final say, this chaos has to end.

"ENOUGH!" I shout, but soon after I start coughing violently. The sound echoes through the air as the throne room turns deadly silent, and the councilmen take their seats. Except my wife, who approaches me with a look of worry and lays her hands on my back and shoulder. What would I do without her?

After a few moments, I force myself to stop coughing and speak again, "I have been patient. . .for over three weeks now." I say as firmly as my lungs allow me. "But it seems. . .King William's messengers, have not responded kindly enough to my peace overtures." The room stays silent, but the faces of the men in the room show their true feelings; anticipation, worry, and sadness.

"And so. . .I've decided to invite King William of Tortuga here, next week, to put an end to this madness." I finish. The lords just stay seated and nod in agreement, while Diana smiles and rubs my back. But Commander Thames stands up in shocked anger, causing the Captain and Maximus to look at him with concern. Only he would ever be brave enough to show objection to a decision, royalty or no royalty.

"My king," He says more relaxed than he looks. "If this is your final decision, my men will lose another week in war preparation. Time is of the essence, and we can't waste it away with negotiations that are doomed to fail. What makes this time any different from the last?"

Maximus neighed in agreement as the Captain nodded.

But my wife responded first. "If you have something better to suggest Commander, speak." She challenged.

He looked to his comrades before turning back with a hardened face. "Our numbers are no match for King William's armada; all of you know this is true. And so, I propose we transfer the most disciplined and highly qualified guards in the kingdom to the Helios Brigade. Now. If we lose even a week, they might not have enough time to advance their training."

She pursed her lips in response. "You're thinking solely as a warrior, we must be diplomatic." She replied.

"This is not the time to be diplomatic." He argued. "This is the time to take a stand against an invading enemy threatening to occupy, not only our kingdom, but the entire region. Three weeks of negotiations have added nothing to a lasting peace. So save your diplomacy until after our victory."

She opened her mouth to respond, but I interrupted "That's enough, out of both of you." I said seriously. The Commander spoke with such confidence it was difficult not to agree with him. But there must be other options besides war. "We have to give peace a try." I replied. "And to answer your previous question Commander; this time, it's face to face. I may be the only one that can convince him otherwise." I answered with a serious face.

But still he would not give in. "Your highness. You hired me to establish an army and train them, to the best of my ability, for the sole purpose of defending Corona. Why would you do this if war was not to be?"

The Captain stood up alongside the Commander and spoke, "Your highness. You know I've served as Captain of the Guards for almost a decade, you know my only loyalty is to this kingdom. The Commander has a valid point. So I ask you this, with all due respect; how can you be so sure he wants to make peace?"

I looked down at my feet before looking to my wife for a second. Soon enough, I'll never have the pleasure of doing that anymore. Soon enough, I'll never have the pleasure of watching our daughter grow into a real woman. Those thoughts saddened me, but. . .if there is one thing I can take pleasure from, it's that I left them with a lasting peace for the kingdom. Only then, may I truly die a content man. "Because," I started firmly. "He was a friend once. And deep down, I know an old part of him from that time is still in there. If I can reach that, I know there will be peace."

I stood up, still clutching the arm rests on my throne. "This is my final decision. End of story."

The Captain sat back down quietly, but the Commander didn't move. He kept still and glared at me unflinchingly. "Then so be it." He said coldly, his intense dark brown eyes never leaving my face. "You leave me no choice but. . .I'll have to resign from teaching the princess. I have no further excuse to spend my time away from the men, who are training hard as we speak, to defend this kingdom."

"Now, if you'll excuse me. . .I have to go break the news to Rapunzel." He finished before bowing stiffly and walking out.

But before he could reach the door, one of the lords stood up in shock. "You dare walk out on your king!" he yelled. "The protector of this nation, the leader of the army you yourself are training!"

There was a tense silence, except for the growls coming from Maximus directed to the lord, while the Commander pondered over the lord's words. "You know what they say, my lord." He answered without looking back to face him. "In the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. I am the one-eyed man." He then turned to glare at me again, "And you my king, are blinded by the past." He finished before walked out the room.

I slumped back down in my throne, rubbing my temples. 'God I hope I'm right.' I thought to myself. I looked up to see everyone was looking at me, like they were waiting for something. "Meeting adjourned." I announced stressfully, with a wave of my hand.

They all exited, except Diana. I stared at her face wistfully, savoring every inch of her perfection. "I fear he may be right, my love." I say to her.

She lets out a small smile and shakes her head. "He doesn't know William like we do. You of all people should remember what he did for us."

I sigh and take hold of her hand. "We haven't spoken to one another in almost 18 years. That amount of time. . .that amount of time in isolation can change almost anyone from a close friend into a stranger."

She started stroking my hair with her other hand. "We'll just have to hope for the best."

"Don't we always." I reply jokingly causing her smile to widen.

"Well, it hasn't failed us yet." She joked back.

I laughed quietly, I haven't been doing that much these days. There's not much humor going around when there's a dead man walking in the room. But it didn't last, I started coughing again. I felt her hand start stroking my back, and my coughing eased as she did it. This is going to be a very, very long week.

**A/N: If you're wondering why it's short, I didn't want to keep you guys waiting another week for a longer and I really couldn't think of anything to add to it.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: This week's been hard on me so tell me if this chap just feels weird, ok? I don't think I did the chap justice. Haven't much else to say at the moment, so. . .Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: I know, right? Thanks for clearing that up for me.**

**Ashlierthw: If that's how you feel, I'm sorry to disappoint you in this chap.**

**P.s. I own nothing**

Chap 17

Week 6: Eugene's POV

Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong in the kingdom. You could just feel there was something in the air; tension, and a lot of it. As if the world were holding in its breath. The sky was cloudy, so there wasn't a ray of sunshine anywhere; which is very, very rare this early in the fall in Corona. The timing couldn't have been more suspicious, but the reason was obvious; a storm was coming.

Unfortunately, my situation wasn't much better. I was at the base, training with Uncle Thames (Yes yes, I've decided to call him that from now on). And by 'training' I mean being used as a punching bag because the king somehow irritated him, and I don't even know why.

He was slashing left and right, while I was just barely able to dodge or block let alone go on offense. Even though he was pushing hard, I held my own; I've actually gotten pretty good fighting with a sword and shield now. We were starting to attract a crowd; the soldiers were circling around us with looks of enjoyment and anticipation. Probably taking bets on how long I'd last with the Commander. Which, if I may add, has actually made me a small fortune over the weeks. I'm not really proud of it but hey, old habits die hard.

He tried to slash across my chest, but I raised my shield just in time. I didn't even have to think about it; I was running on pure instincts. . .well, that and his voice in my head giving me directions.

'Sidestep!' his voice instructed. I did, just as he tried to stab me in the gut. Now was my chance, he was vulnerable and exposed. I struck, aiming for the side of his head. But then, he pulled out one of his little tricks. He recovered quickly, and struck back, causing the base of our swords to meet in mid-air. He started twisting his sword, taking mine along with it. My arm felt like it was literally being twisted in a knot, and trust me, that hurts like hell. The pain was too much so I had no choice, I dropped my weapon. The last thing I saw was the cold, calculating look on Uncle Thames face. . .and the edge of a bronze shield heading straight toward my skull. Then everything went black.

!#$%^&*()

A few hours later

Pain sucks, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Sadly, that was all I felt when my senses came back to me. Such much so, I would've preferred being hit with Rapunzel's frying pan three times than a shield to my face once. My head felt like it weighed a ton and I didn't have the energy to hold myself up very far. I did a little exploring with my fingertips to feel where I was, and I felt. . .silk, like from a bed. Slowly, I opened my eyes only to see a plain white ceiling with a giant red cross in the middle. I managed to sit up just a little bit to get comfy. I was definitely lying on a bed.

Then, I felt a hand on my chest as I moved. "Relax," said a familiar voice. I turned my head toward the direction and saw a very concerned looking Uncle Thames, who hadn't even changed out of his armor.

"Don't strain yourself, you're in the infirmary." He said removing his hand. I laid back down and tried to ease the pain in my forehead, but where I expected there to be skin. . .was a bandage cloth wrapped around it.

"How are you feeling?" he asked genuinely.

I took a few seconds to think over that before saying sarcastically, "Like I got smacked in the head four times too many. Who knows, the next might even be fatal."

He smiled wryly. "And to think, I wasn't even trying to give you a concussion. At least now we're even."

I stared at him with all seriousness. "You gave me a concussion, and that makes us even?"

He pointed back at me accusingly. "Watch your tone boy, my leg was almost amputated. If I hadn't thought you were special, you'd be six feet under my boot right now."

"You thought I was special." I teased him with raised eyebrows. He responded with a light slap to my forehead, which only made the pain feel worse.

"Don't push your luck." He warned, but I managed to make out a faint smile across his face as he said it.

_Knock, knock._

"Come in." he answered.

The door opened, as Hook Hand stepped inside holding an envelope in his hand. He walked up to Uncle Thames, saluted, and handed him the paper. "It's an urgent message from the princess."

What? Why would Rapunzel send him a letter?

He probably noticed my puzzled look, because he said "I quit remember. You're not the only one who likes to keep in touch with the kingdom." He opened the envelope and started reading. At first, he had a soft expression on but suddenly, his eyes widened and his expression grew hard.

He handed it back forcefully. "Prepare my horse, immediately." He ordered firmly.

He scurried away with a quick 'yes sir'. Uncle started pacing back and forth the room, mumbling something under his breath so fast I couldn't understand a word. I knew something had to be wrong. He looked agitated and nervous; and he never gets nervous.

"What's wrong?" I finally asked. He either didn't hear me or didn't want to answer.

"What's wrong?" I asked louder this time. No answer. He kept mumbling to himself, which was starting to worry me. Something big just happened. Something bad.

Hook reappeared at the door. "It's ready sir."

He stopped pacing and nodded. He finally turned to me. "Stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can." He said before rushing out the door.

!#$%^&*()

Rapunzel's POV

Earlier that day:

It was a dark, cold day in the kingdom. The chilly, late autumn wind felt like I was being pierced with icicles through my clothes. The fact that the sun wasn't shining through the thick, stormy gray clouds certainly wasn't helping my mood of course. It felt as if my world was getting strangled to death. Everything felt so wrong. But it definitely underscored the atmosphere around today's little reunion.

Today is the day King William will arrive here to 'negotiate' a 'political' solution. Under different circumstances, I would've been ecstatic to actually meet another monarch and finally act like a real princess. But this was serious business; one wrong move and our kingdoms go to war.

Mom, Dad, and I were waiting outside in the courtyard waiting to greet the king. A red carpet was rolled out in front of us, with a line of guards standing at attention. But as much as I wanted there to be peace, I didn't think he deserved such a warm welcome.

Last week, I had a talk with Mr. Thames. He said he couldn't teach me anymore, and that preparing Eugene and the others for a war needed his utmost attention. But more importantly, he said my father was being naïve and that it's unwise to trust King William. And the thing is. . .I don't know who to believe; my own father, or the my teacher who's also my boyfriends uncle.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the city, outside the palace gates.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

It sounded like a gong was being hit with drumsticks. I had to squint my eyes to see where the noise was coming from.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Finally, I saw a lone figure appear in the distance. But then, that figure turned to two, then five, then ten, until I counted a crowd of at least thirty people standing in front of a large, elegant carriage.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

They were getting closer, and closer. I noticed that those thirty people were actually soldiers. Metal armor covered every part of their body except their face. The noise was coming from the banging of their spears against the shields.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

The soldiers stopped outside the gates and parted for the carriage to pass. It was very large indeed; at least 7 feet tall and 10 feet wide, more than enough space to stand and walk around inside. The door, edges, and windows were embroiled with strands of gold against the dark, mahogany wood, all pulled by the strength of 4 black stallions. Then, the banging stopped, and two of the soldiers opened the door and knelt before it.

Finally the man inside came into view. And the first thing I noticed. . .was his coat. It was made of fur, pitch black fur from, by the size of it, a black bear. Good thing Pascal wasn't here or he would've started a riot. The king was a tall man, with a light tan and dirty blonde hair. But other than that, I hardly recognized him from the portrait Mom showed me. His once playful blue eyes were ice cold, like he was about to stab your soul with daggers, that mischievous smile was now greedy and unfriendly. He also had a thin, white scar across his left cheek. This was the look of a changed man. Mr. Thames was right.

Without so much as a glance, he stepped on the backs of the two soldiers, as if they were nothing more than stairs, to lower himself to the ground. He then walked up to my father and grinned devilishly. "Hello Marcus."

**A/N: Can you guys please review this time, I could really use some motivation right now. If you don't that would make me really sad :(**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I am back! Wooo! 10 reviews, I love u guys XD. Seriously when I saw how many reviews there were I knew I had to update right away. Anyway I hope I don't disappoint, even though I probably won't, here are the 'negotiations'. Enjoy and cookies for all reviewers!**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Ashlierthw: you'll find out in the next chap, but I think you can guess from this one.**

**Disneyisbeautiful: 25 times! Wow, poor guy, well after this story is done it'll be like 50.**

**Lizzy Bennet: No I haven't, not really sure if it's my kinda movie/book. Why do you ask?**

**Macdaddy: Thank you so much, and I'll never give up on this story.**

Chap 18

Week 6 (still): King Marcus's POV

Finally, after 18 long, depressing years. . .we meet again. The only man I've ever called a friend, might be the only man I'd ever go to war with. I took one look at him, just one, and I knew. . .this is not the same man I befriended in my adolescence. His eyes were cold and hard, his smile was sinister, like a viper before it strikes, and the way he walked over his own men showed not one sign of remorse. He was everything I feared he would be; dead inside. And the worst part of it was; it was by my doing.

"Hello Will." I responded, smiling faintly as not to show my shock at his transformation. "It's been far too long."

He continued glaring at me unflinchingly. "Yes well, it appears the years have not been kind. You look weary my friend." There was something in his tone as he said that, but it wasn't concern. It's as if he were analyzing a dying animal.

Then, he looked over at my wife, and his expression changed. His smile faded into a frown, and his eyes widened slightly as the color drained from his face. Almost as if he were. . .scared.

She smiled nervously, and I saw a flicker in her eyes, not one of excitement, but of fear as well. I had a feeling she sensed his inner change too. "Hello Will."

His lips twitched a bit, and as they did it curved into a fake, forced grin. "Hello Dee. You look beautiful, as always." He said emotionless.

She looked down at her feet and brushed a strand of her loose hair back. Dee, the nickname Will and I had given her in our youth. It brought back many memories I hadn't thought about in years. But she doesn't use that name anymore, especially after. . .that incident all those years ago.

Then, his attention turned to Rapunzel. "Ahh, and this must be the famous Lost Princess." He said examining her up and down. "Well, you know what they say about daughters stealing their mother's beauty."

"Umm. . ." she said looking confused.

I coughed, no not because I'm ill, but to get past these awkward moments and move onto the negotiations. "William, it's rather cold out here, why don't you come inside so we may get this process going." I said motioning my hand toward the palace.

He grinned. "Yes, of course." I nodded as my family and I made our way up the stairs to the entrance, but then he added "Just one request." I stopped and turned to him.

"I hope you don't mind if my men restock during our little talk, it's such a long march from here back to Tortuga."

I shook my head. "Not at all." His grin widened in response, as he followed us indoors.

!#$%^&*()

We walked through the halls in silence before arriving at my study room. William walked right in without a word. Rapunzel and Diana were about to as well before I held my hand up for them to stop. They looked hurt at first but I gave them my 'I have to do this alone' look. Diana nodded and smiled encouragingly, Rapunzel. . .was more reluctant; she was biting her lower lip and seemed a bit worried, but she didn't object as her mother took her hand and lead her away. She gave me a small, encouraging wave as if to say 'Good luck' before I waved back and closed the door. Dear God, give me the strength to make it through this day.

I turned to face him, only to see William was standing by the chess set on my desk, playing with one of the castles absently. "Ironic, isn't it?" he said not taking his eyes off the piece.

"What is?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing. Just the fact that I always thought you'd be the one out of us to conquer other lands, and be all-powerful. Look where we are now." he said dropping the piece with a faint '_dud'_.

I approached him as fast as my tired feet would allow me. "Why are you doing this Will? What do you want with my kingdom?" I asked him seriously, but it came out sounding more hurt and betrayed. I was done with the political niceties and formalities. Damn the negotiations. I had hoped a part of the old Will was still there somewhere; the kind, timid but energetic boy I had called a friend. But it seems, he was right. . .the years have indeed not been kind.

He smiled. "Same old Marcus; always straight to the point. Believe me when I tell you this old friend; if I had any other options, I wouldn't give a second thought about leaving Corona alone. But, our entire Northern border is shared with your kingdom, and I'd have to pass through your waters if I were to sail around it. Getting revenge for. . ." his eye twitched as he paused. "That incident," he said harshly "is just an added bonus."

I took a step back appalled by his words. "This isn't just about my kingdom. I'm simply a road block standing in your way to the neighboring states."

"More like a large pebble, but I have more important matters to take care of than trying to destroy your precious kingdom. The first of which, is to control all the land between the Ionian and the Black sea, with me as its Emperor." He replied.

"Have you gone mad?" I whispered/shouted. I was beginning to think he really was.

"To define madness is simply madness in itself." He answered philosophically; which didn't improve my feeling he was mad.

"William, listen to me-"

"No! You listen Marcus." He interrupted pointing at me accusingly. "Do you have any idea what I had to deal with after. . ." he twitched again. "After Diana chose you over me." he turned away, blinking back tears as he said it.

"William I didn't-"

"You left me with him you know. The insults I received everyday from my own father was enough to drive me to suicide were it not against God's teachings. And in the end, I did what needed to be done."

I hung my head in sorrow; I knew well enough the kind of man his father was. I've seen the scars left on his emotional state as an adolescent more than most would see in his lifetime. One of my single greatest regrets was leaving him with that man, and many a night after that I laid awake thinking how he was doing. But it didn't take a genius to know what he meant by 'needed to be done', and if he were to do that to his own father and invade a friendly nation just to pursue more power. . .than the apples certainly don't fall far from the tree.

"You didn't have to stay with him, we could've worked it out." I spoke softly.

He turned to face me, but his expression grew resentful. "And then what?" he questioned harshly. "Pretend that I was happy for the both of you, pretend that I never had feelings for her. No my friend, I refuse to hide my feelings any further." He took a step closer to me. "So prepare whatever army you've gathered, and if they be brave enough, face my armada after your passing." And with that, he marched out the door, but in the distance I heard him yell "Long live the King!"

I slumped down into the chair behind my desk in exhaustion and rubbed my eyes. The Commander was right, diplomacy couldn't help us now. I must act on his advice, immediately.

I took out a piece of parchment and a pen to write to him, but when I looked down at the paper. . .there were spots. Why were there spots? I rubbed my eyes and there were more spots, I did it again with the same result. I felt all my muscles tense and tighten. I started coughing loudly, as everything was becoming blurry and the room was spinning. Before I knew it, I was lying on the cold marble floor, unable to speak or see clearly. I heard voices coming from somewhere; high-pitched, feminine shouts. It yelled "Dad. Dad! Guards, somebody! Get a doctor!" I felt two hands touching me, rolling me so I was on my back, and something wet was on my skin, water maybe? The last thing I heard was "Stay with me, stay with me." then everything went black.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUN! You won't hear a word out of me till the next chap, HAHA! But luckily I don't have school till Thursday so I might update sooner. Thank you God for creating other religions so we get off on their holidays too. Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Well, here I am. I told you I'd be back so soon, and let me tell you, this was NO easy chapter. I surprised even myself with how fast I finished it so, enjoy! And you might want to grab a tissue box. . .just in case.**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: Thank you, I really tried to create him as the bad guy that you also feel sorry for that the same time. And now, consider yourself enlightened.**

**Zepyhr-of-Shadows: You watched 300 didn't you. Well you will LOVE the war scenes cuz most of it was inspired by 300. . .with a few copied lines here and there ;) And don't you go doing something not nice now, I updated.**

**P.s. I don't own Tangled :(**

Chap 19

Week 7: Third person POV

It's been a dark week for the kingdom of Corona and its people. With the threat of invasion upon them, a king unable to leave his deathbed, and an army far too small to match that of Tortuga, which rumor has it, contains tens of thousands of men at its disposal; they'd be fools not to feel somewhat terrified at the least. And nowhere was it more apparent than the palace halls itself. They were eerily silent except for the whispers of servants and guards, and the hurried shuffling of feet against the floor. If you listen closely, you could hear their whispers of fear. Fear for the king, more fear for their families and homes, and more fear still. . .for their own lives if an invasion were to reach the city. All were valid, but it all comes down to a when and a what. 'When will the king die? And what can we do to protect ourselves after all Hell breaks loose?' were the questions on the minds of every citizen of Corona. Every citizen, except four.

The Queen, Rapunzel, Commander Thames, and Eugene, who recovered remarkably quick considering he'd been knocked out for hours, gathered around the King's bed. A doctor was packing up his bag as he just finished examining the king. And he wasn't looking good; his skin was pale and wrinkly, his eyes glassy, and his breathing getting fainter by the day.

The doctor stood, and all eyes focused on him. He was a short, pudgy man with thinning gray hair, and a look of defeat on his face. Not a word was uttered as he met the Queen's gaze and shook his head in pity. Everyone knew what that meant; his life. . .is finally coming to a close.

The room was instantly filled with silent grief. Rapunzel and Eugene were arm in arm, not out of love but a need for comfort. Her eyes were puffy and red from all the tears she shed his week, while his were just starting to get teary eyed. Queen Diana sat down beside her husband, gripping his hand; she knew what was to come, but still she would hold on till the very last minute. The Commander. . .was an exception; he was the strong one out of the four. No doubt he felt the sadness of the atmosphere, but for him death. . .just came naturally.

Then the King spoke. "Do you remember the day Rapunzel was born, love?"

The Queen smiled faintly as she stroked his hair lightly. "Yes, how could I forget? It was such a wonderful day. I remember seeing all the people happy and smiling, all the banners and colors flying, especially the lanterns." She said dreamily. "You couldn't stop crying out of happiness. Why do you ask?"

The King took a deep breath. "On that day. . .I thought I would live to be a hundred. But it seems. . .I will not see the light of fifty. We've run out of magic flowers." He said weakly.

He turned his head to Rapunzel. "Come my dear." He said holding out his hand to her. She let go of Eugene, knelt before the bed, and took his hand tightly. Her red eyes and pleading expression showed just how much she grew to love the man, even though the majority of the time they spent together was when he was ill.

"For 18 years. . .I used to dream about the kind of woman you'd become. Would you be warm and loving like your mother, kind and obedient like a princess, or confident and noble like me? And I want you to know. . ." then, a few tears escaped from his eyes. "You're better than anything I had imagined, because you are all of those and more. And I'm so proud of you." He finished as Rapunzel basically tackled her father with a hug, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.

Eugene had to lead her away from him, gently of course. "Eugene my boy." The King called weakly.

He approached him and knelt. "Yes your highness?" he asked softly.

The King smiled. "Enough with the formalities, I think we're far past the stage my boy." Eugene just nodded in response.

"I can't thank you enough you know." He said earnestly. "Even with today's troubles. . .you've brought a smile to this old man's heart. I'm glad it was you who brought her home in the end. I only wish. . .I could've lived to see the day I call you my son."

A few tears escaped Eugene's eyes as he smiled back; and Eugene Fitzherbert is not a man that allows that often. "Me too. . .Dad."

Finally, he turned to Commander Thames. "You were right about Will, I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

The Commander shook his head solemnly. "No my king, you had good reason to. And frankly. . .I wish I had as much forgiveness as you do."

He smiled in return. "Protect them. . .and the kingdom."

Commander Thames straightened and nodded. "With my life." He said seriously.

And with that, King Marcus closed his eyes. . .for the last time.

!#$%^&*()

5 hours later

Eugene silently closed the door to Rapunzel's room behind him, pounded his head on it once, and sighed out of exhaustion. 'Finally' he thought. She finally fell asleep after three hours of crying and another two of him just listening to her sob and weep and scream. Sure he joined in on the waterworks from time to time, but most of those were from seeing her like that than the king passing, not that he didn't cry from that either. But now. . .he felt like crap; because he's horrible at comforting people. Did he hug her too much or not enough? Did he sob enough so she'd know he felt the same way she did? And all of that mattered; because he knew that it'd take days for her to leave her room willingly, weeks for her to crack a smile again, and months before she's back to the happy, energetic girl she always was. . .but this time, with yet another scar forever imprinted on her emotional state.

"How's she doing?" a voice said to his right. Normally, he would've jumped at the unexpected voice, but all his energy was drained away from comforting Rapunzel. So, he just turned his head, only to see good ole Uncle Thames leaning against the wall, playing absently with a dagger in his hand. It looked fierce and expensive; it was a good 6 inches long, the metal was iron, newly polished too, and had a black leathered hilt in a diamond pattern.

"Nice knife." He complimented.

Uncle looked up at him with interest. "You like it?" he asked.

"Yeah, it looks sweet."

He smiled. "This is my favorite blade. Used to belong to an Ottoman prince I met on my first assignment as a mercenary. Those were the days."

"He give it to you?" Uncle just shook his head wistfully. "You steal it?"

"Let's just say, for arguments sake, one minute it had an owner and the next. . .it didn't. Back to my question, how is she?"

Eugene took a deep breath. "Besides having just cried her eyes out. . .peachy."

He shrugged. "Grieving's a process."

"Well thank you for that Commander Obvious." He replied sarcastically but it came out sounding bitter; and it earned him a slap upside the head. "Ow." He flinched. He almost forgot how much those hurt.

"Keep it up and that sarcasm is going to be the death of you one of these days." Uncle Thames said as he stopped playing with the knife and stared at him with his intense gaze. Another thing he almost forgot about. "You want to be a good king, drop it."

Eugene sighed; he had him at 'be a good king'. "I'm sorry." He said genuinely.

His gaze seemed to soften as he gave a small grin. "I know. I just need you to remember who I am, and that we're family. Families get mad at one another, but above all, we have to respect and love each other. Now, come here." He said pocketing the dagger and stretching out his arms.

Eugene looked at him like he was crazy. "What are you doing?"

"Are you going to give your uncle a hug, or do I have to get my dagger out and force you?"

Eugene shook his head and smiled back in defeat before hugging him back. It was the most awkward thing he's ever felt, but after a few seconds it became almost. . .nice? Normal even. It felt good; probably because he was the one being comforted now. It was different than hugging Rapunzel; those were out of love, but this was. . .safe, comfortable. 'So this is what family feels like.' He thought.

Then Uncle Thames pulled back and gripped his shoulders, still grinning. "You'll be a great king, Eugene. One of the best Corona will ever see."

He smiled at the compliment. If only he had that much faith in himself. "How can you be so sure?" he asked timidly.

Uncle sighed. "Sometimes. . .you just know. Now come," he said leading him away from the door. "We have a funeral to prepare for. And then. . .we go to war."

**A/N: *sniff sniff* Wow, I even made myself cry. *grabs tissue and blows far too dramatically* Not that sure I did a good job on the 'Eugene-Thames' family moment so can you please. . .REVIEW FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Wow, I made 3 people cry. . .YES! Phew, truthfully I thought I didn't put enough emotion. Also, this is the funeral chapter and I'm not entirely happy with the funeral part. Mostly cuz of the difference in culture; mine is the first part, and most of yours is the 'burial scene' but hey, I don't judge. Enjoy!**

**I'm gonna skip the replies just this time. I'm in a rush.**

**P.s. I don't own Tangled**

Chap 20:

2 days later: Third person POV

It was a day of blackness, I mean literally too; from black skies, and black banners to black dresses, and black robes. Because today. . .is the king's funeral; and all of Corona was in grief when the news broke. The whispers of fear and anxiety on the streets just vanished overnight, the music and laughter of children playing around the corners stopped, and the light _hum_ of a city normally teeming with life. . .was dull and quiet. A procession through the city was being held before the coffin was to be buried, and all the people of Corona were out, dressed in their best black clothes. Their eyes noticeably puffy and wet, their faces sad and distant.

The closed casket was draped with the gold and purple flag of Corona, a dot of color against a backdrop of mourners in black as it sailed above the heads of the crowd. Everyone wanted to touch it or throw flowers or rice on it. For some of them, this is the closest they'll ever come to the royal family. The sounds of crying and weeping from the women were overshadowed by the tearful shouts of old and young men screaming 'Long live the King!' or 'Long live Corona!'. It was a loud, patriotic, and emotional send off, well deserving for a king they loved, and a king that loved them back. Eventually, the Guards had to go retrieve the casket, because now it was time for the burial.

A large gathering consisting of the Royal family, officers from the Guards, officers from the Helios Brigade, and some foreign dignitaries, not including Tortuga of course, surrounded the casket and the grave it was to be buried in. This was, in every sense of the word, a. . .private affair. A priest was holding up a bible in one hand, and a gold cross in the other, speaking some strange language none of them understood. It was a final blessing.

Eugene was standing next to his uncle with the other officers while Rapunzel, who also had a very gray looking Pascal on her shoulder, was standing next to her mother. She looked so sad, yet so beautiful; her now shoulder long hair was brushed and trimmed, her black dress touched just below the knees to reveal her smooth legs, and she was wearing jewelry; a simple pearl necklace with matching earrings, but it really brought out her features. He felt an overwhelming urge to go to her. He nudged his uncle, causing him to look at him with confused irritation. Eugene nodded over to Rapunzel, as his uncle followed his gaze his expression softened, and he nodded giving him permission. As stealthily as he could, he made his way over to her and grabbed her hand. She was startled at first, but his hand felt so familiar she knew it had to be him. Then, Pascal crawled down her arm and up to Eugene's shoulder, rubbing his neck affectionately. It was so cute they couldn't help but smile, even if it was for a second.

But then, the priest finished his blessing and instructed the casket to be buried. As it was lowered down Rapunzel's grip tightened, the expression on her face was one of fear as she looked to Eugene. He squeezed back and gave her a look that said 'relax'.

Once it was finally lowered and the grave refilled, it started to rain. Everyone took one look up as a streak of lightning lit up the black sky, and the _boom_ of thunder soon followed. The foreign dignitaries quickly ran for the palace, Commander Thames and the other officers snickered at their cowardly response and followed more calmly. But Rapunzel never took her eyes off the grave; she just stood there motionless in the cold rain. Eventually, Eugene and the Queen had to her away, back to the dry, warm palace.

!#$%^&*()

Once inside, Rapunzel ran straight to her room. Eugene was about to follow, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back; it was Uncle Thames.

"Give her some time to collect herself, his death's been hard on her." he said quietly.

"She needs me." he responded softly.

"I know, but she also doesn't need a babysitter to watch over her every time she cries. Just give her a few minutes, there's something I have to tell you anyway."

He turned to face him fully, his expression was concerned. "What is it?"

He sighed and removed his hand. "Pack your bags; we leave for the base first thing tomorrow."

"What?" he replied with shocked anger. "Why?"

"The king is dead, the funeral is finished, what is there left to hold us back? God only knows when King William will finally strike, so we have to prepare the men, I told you this earlier." He looked at him with narrowed eyes as if he'd forgotten all that.

"But. . .what about Rapunzel?" he argued weakly.

He sighed again. "I know you love her, I know you're concerned for her, but you honestly don't give the girl enough credit. She's been through Hell and back and yet, here she is today. Rapunzel is stronger than she looks, and she's stronger than you think."

Eugene didn't need to hear any of this. Why the Hell should he? Was he there when they were on their adventure? Was he there in the tower when he saved her? No, he wasn't. "She still needs me. And it would kill me if I let her stay miserable like that betting on her to toughen it out." And so, he turned around and left, ignoring the shouts of his name behind him.

Commander Thames stopped calling and just let him go. It's easy to think that Rapunzel was just some shy, inexperienced, little girl; but she wasn't. The Commander knew this. The thing about seeing death up close is that it changes a person; for better or worse, that person learns to grow up fast, faster than most others may realize. It's happened to him, it's happened to Eugene, and given enough time. . .it'll happen to Rapunzel. So why didn't he know that?

!#$%^&*()

Her door was unlocked, thank God. In the past two days she's barely left that room, and when she did it wasn't for more than a few minutes. Eugene had tried his best to stay with her, he even offered to camp outside her door, but she declined. Normally, when she would lock her room that was a sure sign she had been crying; she hates it when people see her cry, and he wanted to be there for her when she did.

As he stepped inside, he saw her lying down on her bed burying her head in a large, purple pillow. He could tell she was sobbing by the way her back jolted up every now and then. As quietly as he could, he sat beside her and started stroking her back. She seemed to relax at his touch; her breathing was evening out, and her heartbeat slowed as she sat up, wiping the tears out of her eyes. She looked at him for a second and gave a faint smile before smoothing out her dress.

"Feeling better?"

She nodded slowly and looked into his eyes. "Yeah." She answered sheepishly, still wiping her tears.

He grabbed her hand slowly, and wiped them himself, making her smile again. When he was done, she starting taking off her jewelry. "I never want to wear these again, or this dress."

"You shouldn't, they look hideous on you." He said sarcastically.

She smiled again. And he realized in that moment, he would never get tired of that smile, because it lit up his world and that he would do whatever it took to make her do it again.

"How did you do it?" She asked him softly.

He furrowed his brow. "Do what?"

"How did you cope with your parent's death? How did you deal with the grief?"

He sighed, looking back at her with sad but absent eyes. "I replaced the grief." He answered absently.

"With what?"

"Love. . .for you."

Then, Rapunzel grabbed him and kissed him fiercely. And he kissed back. They needed a release; all the emotions, all the tensions, they had to let it all out. She ran her hands through his hair as he ran his up and down her sides, not daring break the kiss. It felt good, and yet. . .not good enough, they needed more. She moved her hands to unbutton his shirt and wrapped her legs around his waist while he stroked her thighs. She managed to his shirt off without breaking the kiss, and explored his rough, tanned back. He was pushing her dress further up, exploring her soft, smooth skin.

And then. . .well, do I really have to tell you, or should I just let your imagination figure it out.

**A/N: Yeah. . .well this is rated T for a reason. So review please!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey guys, this chapter was a real blast, especially the last part. So without further ado read on and enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: you my friend have just given me a great idea. Though you might not like it.**

**Kristenmarie: ok ok, jeez they just had. . .you know the s-word. Did you not figure that out?**

**KreatingMagic: I was thinking about doing that, but I really didn't know how to put it in words, and that would look good if this was a movie though. No it doesn't offend me at all, I actually like criticism cuz it helps me get better. This story would probably suck if it wasn't for my cousin's giving me criticism and motivation.**

Chap 21

The next day: Eugene's POV

Wow. What more could I say except. . .wow. It was. . .indescribable. There she was, lying next to me fast asleep, with a wide smile on her face. I stayed still, just watching her breath; in and out, in and out till mine was in sync with hers. She looked beautiful asleep. The blankets covered her goddess like body as if it were a second skin; her hair was frizzy and messy. Pieces of clothes were carelessly littered on the floor and bed, the early morning sun was shining through the. . .wait, the sun is out? And it's morning? Crap! Uncle and I are leaving for the base soon! I literally jumped out of bed at the thought, and searched for my clothes.

I was half way through buttoning my shirt and had my pants around my ankles before I noticed. . .Rapunzel was awake. She was sitting up on the bed, looking shocked and even a bit hurt as she stared at me with those fragile, emerald green eyes of hers.

"You're leaving? After everything we just. . .?" she asked. Her voice sounded like she was close to tears again.

'How could I leave her?' a part of me thought, especially in the state she's in; miserable, and heartbroken. She had no idea how much I didn't want to. Even with all the depressing turn of events, I felt. . .content when I was with her. I wanted to stay, I wanted to jump back in the bed and hold her till all this misery in our lives just blew away, I wanted to make her happy and smile again. And yet, I have to go, for the sake of the kingdom. My wants are gonna have to wait till after this war. But how am I gonna explain that to her?

I sighed loudly and rubbed my eyes before trying to answer it. "Rapunzel. . .I know this might sound stupid but, I have to. Uncle Thames said we have to prepare for the war."

She bit her lip and shook her head. "No you don't. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, isn't that what you taught me?"

The hurt was so real, so evident in her tone I had to force myself to stay reasonable. Had this been yesterday I probably would've outright said no to my uncle, and then some. But between yesterday and today, something felt different. As if something. . .clicked inside my brain; I think it was reason, rationality. I didn't think I had any till this very moment.

"Rapunzel, this is something I have to do. We have to think of the kingdom, think of the people of Corona. I have to be in this war." I tried again calmly.

"But do you want to be? Do you honestly want to kill other people, even if they did something wrong or bad?" she questioned.

I sighed and looked away. She was trapping me with her words, trying to guilt me out of it, and she was being way too emotional about it all. Didn't she understand our lives are in danger? Didn't she understand the only reason I ever went along with the training was for her, for us, and for the kingdom?

"Sometimes. . .sometimes what you want to do isn't always the same as what we need to do." I answered seriously. Little did she know those words were the exact same words her father said to me before I joined the army.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few tears running down her cheeks, her lip was quivering, and her breathing looked uneven. "Then. . ." she said her voice on the verge of breaking. "Then go already!" she yelled/sobbed and buried herself under the blankets.

I let out a deep breath, finished changing, and silently closed the door behind me. 'You finally get her in bed, and the next day she hates your guts.' I thought to myself. To tell you the truth, this isn't the first time that's happened to me. The reasons and circumstances were hugely different, but still, old habits really do die hard.

A few minutes later I was walking toward the palace gates, uncle was already waiting for me there with his bag slung over his shoulder. A horse and carriage were parked next to him, guess we're finally riding in style now. He was looking at me oddly, his eyes examining me up and down like I was some bug that crawled out of a hole. "Eugene, why are you wearing the same clothes you wore to the funeral?" he asked politely.

Oh, that's why. I decided to play dumb, after that fight with Rapunzel I was in no mood to be my witty, sarcastic self. "Truthfully, I hadn't even noticed." It wasn't really a lie either.

I walked past him without another word and hopped in the carriage. My armor was waiting there inside, plus my spear, shield and sword, how strange?

"You weren't in your room this morning, so I took the liberty of packing for you. I suggest you change into that, you look terrible." Uncle said as he took the reins and we started moving.

I made the mistake of looking back at the palace, and I noticed a small figure staring out the window where Rapunzel's room should've been. She was watching me leave. I waved to her, but then she turned and backed away from the window. As the palace was getting farther and farther away, I started thinking. . .what have I gotten myself into? The answer; a war.

!#$%^&*()

Have you ever tried to change in a moving ride? Easy, right? Well, make those clothes metal, add a few complicated straps, a bumpy road, and two sharp objects that could kill you and it's not so easy now is it? So when we arrived at the base and I stepped out, I probably looked even stupider than before; and uncle noticed.

"You're 24 years old and you still can't dress yourself?" he asked rhetorically, as he shook his head and adjusted my shoulder straps himself.

But then, he paused, as if he noticed something on me. There were four pinkish lines running from both sides of my upper back; nail marks, a little souvenir from last night. He looked back at me with a confused glare. "You didn't. . ." he started.

Before I could respond, he grabbed my head with both hands and tilted it left and right, up and down as if looking for something to prove what we both were thinking of. Then, he stopped, and stared directly into my eyes. I could almost see the gears turning in his head, processing all the evidence; the nail marks, the clothes from yesterday, not being in my room, my attitude. "Oh, you did. . ." he said taking a step back. He knew.

His expression was changing constantly; shock, confusion, anger, worry, and more. His eyes flickered on and odd like a candle, and for those who knew him as the Commander, that was a signal to run away before he does something crazy and violent. But I didn't move; I was frozen with fear over his reaction.

Finally, his expression settled on anger as he held up his hand to smack me. I flinched away and put my arms up in defense, waiting for the pain to come. . .but it never did. I heard a conflicted sigh, and looked back to see his hand was rubbing his forehead as he looked at the ground with closed eyes.

"Please tell me were at least gentle with her?" he asked still not looking at me.

I lowered my arms slowly and answered "As a cloud."

He finally looked at me, his face unreadable. "And did you use protection?"

I nodded. "Yes sir."

Before he could respond, someone called "Commander!"

We turned and saw the Captain running toward us. He looked a bit out of breath as he saluted to him.

"What is it Captain?" Uncle Thames asked after saluting back.

"There are. . .two messengers. . .from Tortuga. . .waiting here now. . .to negotiate." The Captain panted.

He nodded to him, and then glared at me. "We'll talk about this later." He said before marching inside the base. The Captain and I followed closely behind.

!#$%^&*()

The messengers were pretty hard to miss. Two men dressed in expensive, gold colored robes each atop a black stallion were waiting at the center of the base. If that wasn't enough; a convoy of ten enemy soldiers, armed with spears were escorting them. A group of our boys were circling them, armed and watching them like hawks in case the pull anything. When they saw us the men cleared a path, and the messenger on the right asked "Are you the Commander of this army?"

The Commander approached them. "I am. What business do you have at my base?"

The messenger on the left snickered. "You call this little playground a base?"

Uncle ignored him and faced the other one. "What's your business here?" he repeated bitterly and slowly.

He smiled. "We come to deliver the King's terms for peace. They are. . ." he took out a paper and started reading "The complete surrender of all armed forces, the complete disarmament of said forces, unrestricted passage of our army through your land, and finally you and your people are to pay tribute to his Highness, the Great King William. That is all."

Every word he uttered was like being stabbed through the chest. Surrender, disarm, pay tribute. The words felt like poison in my mind just thinking about them. I wanted to punch 'em both in the face for even suggesting it. And I wasn't alone; a few of the men tried to lunge but were held back.

The messenger on the left noticed it. "Control your pack of dogs Commander." He said was a tone of disgust. "You understand it's an act of war to attack a peaceful messenger, don't you?"

"Completely." He answered holding back his own anger. "And if I were to agree to these. . .terms, what are your offers?"

"The continued safety and existence of your kingdom, with our army in control of your people's wellbeing. Now, do we have an agreement?" the messenger asked holding out his hand.

There was a moment of tense silence as the Commander pondered over it. He looked around, to the faces of each of our men. They didn't move but their expressions showed what they thought of this deal. He looked to me, our eyes met in a common understanding as if we had never fought, and I shook my head. No deal. We were confident in ourselves, we were confident in our abilities, and we were confident we were gonna win this war.

He turned back to the messenger, with a mix of anger and determination as he smacked his hand away.

"Take your so called terms, and shove them down your master's throat. Because Corona will never surrender to a foreign ruler." The men cheered in response.

"You foul. You mad foul." The one on the left said. "We have an armada, the largest and most powerful in the entire region. Our army will drink your rivers dry, scorch every last piece of land in this kingdom, and obliterate your cities from existence. There will be nothing left to call Corona."

"Mad?" Uncle mocked. Suddenly his eyes flickered again, and all our men backed away out of instinct. He slowly approached him, glaring with so much intensity the horse was backing away too. "You want madness; oh I'll show you madness. I think you've over stayed your welcome, I suggest you leave with your lives before I lose my mercifulness."

The messenger on the right had to pull his friend away before he could reply. "We will see you in battle then." He said and rode off with their soldiers following behind.

Uncle never took his eyes off them as they got farther. 200 meters. . .300 meters. "Tell me Captain, how many men does it take to deliver a message?" he asked, the flicker of fire in his eyes still not off.

"Um, one sir." He answered timidly.

400 meters. . .500 meters. He smiled devilishly and grabbed a spear off one of our guys. 600 meters. . .700 meters. He took two steps and threw it with all his might. We watched it sail across the sky, falling down more and more till. . .it hit the messenger on the left square in the back. And he fell to the ground, motionless with the weapon running through his torso.

"Gentlemen," he said to us. "Prepare for battle."

**A/N: you know, I haven't done a chapter this long in like a month. And it feels great writing more than 2000 words again, Wahoo! This is my second longest chap ever! So anyway, don't forget to REVIEW! **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hello everyone, as you all know yesterday was Tangled's first birthday! Wahoo! Ugh, now I'm sad. They just grow up so fast :( Tuesday was also my country's Independence Day so it's been a festive week. Anyway, I'm not really happy with this chapter, mostly because there's a lot of dialog and the war won't start till the next chap. So, Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends, and Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Disneyisbeautiful: I know right, he's such a bad listener ;). I'm really sad to not have put the war in this chap but I felt like it needed something before I go to that, so you'll just have to wait.**

**Nikkibecket1997: As great as that sounds, I think I'm gonna stick with my original plot, which you don't even know what it'll be. But thank you for that, and you've actually given me a great idea for later on. Thanks ;)**

Chap 22

Eugene's POV

It was chaos. Within minutes, the Captain was standing at the top of a podium, I didn't even know we had, and shouted orders like 'You there, sharpen those spears and arrows!' and 'Cadet! Get off your lazy ass and pack those tents!' and then 'Shine those boots! Polish those shields! Let's go men!'. Truthfully, I didn't see the point of it all; it's not like we were gonna go to war today. It would take at least half a day for the messenger to tell the King. But strangely enough, it felt like we were. There was a sense of. . .pride in the air; you could feel it all around you by looking at the men. Everyone was rushing about with weapons or armor or drinks, doing anything they could to help in the preparations. One guy was using his shield as a tray to serve water, another was inspecting the soldiers' armor and helmet size, and another still was sewing capes.

And where was I? Well, I was one of the unlucky few spit shining sweaty, worn out, black leather boots with a rag. If that wasn't enough, Hook was sitting next to me making really weird grunting sounds to add more spit. That's not disgusting at all, right?

"Why the Hell are we doing this? The war hasn't even started yet." I asked him, trying to find what little saliva I have left in my mouth.

He shrugged. "Don't ask me Pretty boy. Everybody's got a job to do here, and you're not even doin yours right." He said and proceeded to spit on my boot. "More spit, better shine."

"Ahh, that explains why the Ducklings so clean all of a sudden." I joked.

He shoved me a bit. "Shut up." He said in a slightly annoyed voice. "Hey, how's Girlie doin anyway? She's hasn't been seen around lately."

"Angry." I sighed and answered bluntly.

"At you?"

"No at her frog, who else genius?" I snapped at him, and went back to shining with the rag.

He slowly leaned in, as if we were sharing a secret, and whispered "You wanna talk about it?"

"No." I answered, avoiding eye contact.

He shrugged again. "Suit yourself. You must've done something pretty awful for Girlie, of all people, to get mad ya. The girl's got a heart a gold."

'You have no idea.' I thought to myself. Luckily the Captain's barking "Cadet Fitzherbert!" saved me the trouble of answering that one.

Slowly, I dropped the boot, stood at attention, and put on the best uninterested smirk I could. The Captain just loves it when I do that. "Yeah Cap?"

He rolled his eyes; "The Commander wishes to speak with you, now." he called from his podium.

I sighed. Great, just what I needed; a lecture on my sex life before an all out war starts. Suddenly spitting on shoes didn't sound so unpleasant, but I didn't really have a choice when it came to these things.

I walked over to his office at the center of the base. He was waiting outside, polishing his spear; I noticed the rag he was using was stained blood red, and I realized. . .that's because it was blood. I shuddered at the thought of him holding that weapon during his little 'lecture'. But I put on a brave face and said "Uncle."

He didn't take his eyes off it, but he replied "Eugene." in a strangely parental way. Like I was a teenager that stayed out past curfew and got caught sneaking in.

"Do you. . .want to talk to me about something?" I said slowly.

"Yes. . .but not here." He said and then walked past me. What was his problem?

I followed, very suspiciously. "Okay, we could go to the Snuggly Duckling again, I hear they-"

"Not there either. I was thinking somewhere more. . .secluded. Follow me."

I gulped. Going to a secluded place with a man very well known to be unstable and holding a spear isn't the most logical thing to do. But he didn't stop, so I continued following.

!#$%^&*()

10 minutes later, the base was a spec in the distance. The low canyon walls that normally hid it were getting taller and rockier with each step, turning a familiar reddish brown color. I felt like I've been here before, but how could I? A few more minutes later and I heard something; splashing, the sound of running water.

The next thing I saw made me freeze. It's been months since I've last seen it, but I remember it like it was just yesterday. It was a river, a huge river being held back by a simple, poorly constructed, wooden dam. A dam I thought was destroyed by Rapunzel and I.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" I heard Uncle's voice say next to me. I looked over to see him with a small smirk and his arms crossed, staring absently at the dam as if it were a work of art.

I was too amazed and shocked to reply anything except, "Why did you bring me here?"

He sighed. "Because this, my dear nephew, is plan B. And before I go any further, I want you to know that I have the utmost confidence in you and the other men." Then, his smirk faded and was replaced with a sad, exhausted expression. "But, this is not my first war. I know what happens when you and your enemy's eyes met across the battlefield, I know what it feels like to kill a man with my bare hands, but worst of all, I know what it's like to lose comrades. We may very well be the best fighting force Corona has ever seen, but without the sufficient numbers to back us up, we'll eventually be overrun. That's where the dam comes in; it's our insurance policy. This canyon was once filled with water from the river. If we fail to hold them back, we'll break it and flood the whole area, taking with us every last Tortugan soldier. Live or die, Corona will never be invaded. But the question is, which will it be? Live or die?"

"That's. . .genius." I complimented.

His smile returned. "I don't deserve all the credit. It was Rapunzel that told me about it in the first place. She's an amazing girl."

"Yeah, she is."

There were a few moments of silence after that. Both of us were lost in our thoughts, subconsciously thinking of what to say next to keep the conversation going. Until he asked "Do you love her?"

I was shocked by his question. How could even ask such a thing? Is it really that hard to tell? I opened my mouth to respond but he interrupted "I'm not talking about love; I'm talking about. . ." he raised his eyebrows and started moving his hands around, yeah, as that ever explains anything. "love love."

I furrowed my brows, "This there a difference? Cause even if there is, I know in my heart I-"

He held his hand up for silence, and sighed through his nose.

"I don't doubt your feelings for her. It's just. . .I think it was very wrong of you to take advantage of her in that way." The tone in his voice was getting close to resentment, and that worried me. "I had specifically told you to give her some time to calm down and relax. Did you listen? No, you did not. Now look what's happened."

"Hey, she came at me first. I had nothing to do with her womanly emotions." I replied defensively. How dare he. I've been nothing but comforting and loving to Rapunzel, and he's thinks I took advantage of her? I admit, it made me a bit mad.

"Womanly emotions?" He repeated in mocked surprise. "She had just seen her dead father get buried in a six foot hole, and that's why you thought she did what she did? You took advantage of her when she was going through grief. Grief tends to have an affect like that." He almost yelled.

I balled my fists; the man was blowing this way out of proportion, as if everything he said was my fault. "Why do you care so much?" I challenged louder.

"Because. . ." Then, he froze. Something in his mind must've made him stop and think for a second. I could see the resentment draining from his expression, just before he looked away and sighed. "Because," he said calmer this time. "I want her to still be there when you get back."

I dropped my fists and stared at him in curiosity. All my anger evaporated from his reaction. "What do you mean?" I asked.

He opened his mouth to answer but closed it all of a sudden and looked down on the ground. He was obviously conflicted about telling me this; he kept rubbing his eyes and forehead to calm himself. Finally, he said "I promised myself I'd never speak of her again."

I approached him, and gripped his shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything." I assured him.

He nodded and took a deep breath. "You and Rapunzel had a fight after you two. . .did it, didn't you?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

"It was about being a soldier, wasn't it?"

I sighed again. "Yeah."

He nodded understandingly. "When I was your age, I was in love with a girl. She was beautiful, loving, kind, everything I could ever want in a girl. She didn't know about my occupation at the time, and I finally told her after we. . .did it too. She wasn't happy with what I had done; she wanted me to quit fighting the wars and battles and live a normal life. I didn't listen, once you're one of us, there's only three ways of getting out; a peace settlement, retirement, or a casket. I was to be deployed for about a year, I asked her to wait for me. I was going to marry her after I returned, but when I did. . .she wasn't there."

He turned to stare at me intensely. "Don't be like me Eugene. Once this war is over, go home, never fight, and never wage a war, understand?"

I smiled. "Yes sir."

"Good, because by this time tomorrow, there's a war coming our way."

**A/N: Is it really as bad as I think it is? Because I really can't tell right now; my self-conscious self says it sucks but my self-confident self says it's fine. I'm so conflicted so TELL ME. . .in a review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: And now, the moment we have all been waiting for. Enjoy! And I do not own Tangled.**

**No review replies this time, read NOW!**

Chap 23

Rapunzel's POV

That night, I had a nightmare. My first one in months, and this was by far the worst one I will ever dream of.

_I was standing in a rocky field, overlooking a white-blue sea. The cloudless sunny sky shinned brightly above my head. It would've been a beautiful day if I wasn't in a horrible mood. Eugene had left to fight, my father was dead, and my mother was basically alienating herself from everyone out of mourning. I turned to my right and saw a canyon, and standing between the end of that canyon. . .was Eugene, along with Mr. Thames and two thousand other men, wearing their armor with flowing red capes. They were banging their spears against their shields as if they were drums. I looked away to my left and saw an enormous cloud of smoke, as black as coal, hovering and swirling a foot off the ground, like a short tornado. It darkened everything behind it, as if it went on endlessly._

_They were facing each other, no more than 100 meters away, and I was smack in the middle. The expressions on the faces of the men was determination. . .all except for Mr. Thames, his was pure, murderous rage, like a lion's after it gets stung. I almost thought I saw a fire in his eyes. The tension between the two was almost excruciating; I kept looking back and forth between them with fear of what they might do. Not to me; they barely even noticed me, but to each other. I was scared for them, and I was scared a lot of bad things were about to happen. The banging of their shields grew louder and more frequent with the seconds, almost like. . .like a heartbeat._

'_Dun, dun. Dun dun. Dun dun.'_

_It grew faster, and faster, and faster until. . .they roared. 'RRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!' they screamed at the top of their lungs._

_The cloud became larger, and angrier in response. As it did, a million tiny black projectiles shot out of it. They sailed across the sky right above my head, making a 'whish' sound along the way. There were so many of them they blotted out the sunlight, casting a shadow that made the scenery dark. But I could still see their direction, or more specifically, their target._

_The men were still banging their shields as they looked up to the sky, as if waiting for them to rain down. And when they did, everything went black. . .and the banging stopped._

I woke with a start, and the first thing I thought was. . .they're all gonna die. It was a sign; my nightmares were signs. I have to stop them, I have to save them.

So I jumped out of bed, and I ran. I ran to the one person who would listen to me, the one person who could put a stop to all this madness; my mother.

I found her in the throne room, sitting on her seat next to Dad's empty one. She looked depressed and frustrated as she slumped on her seat very unladylike, but this wasn't the time to correct her posture. "Mom! Mom!" I screamed as I ran to her.

She sat up in surprise and worry at my shouts. "Rapunzel, what is it?" she asked with curious concern.

"They're gonna die! Eugene's gonna die!" I shouted and tackled her with a hug.

She returned my hug with a sigh and stroked my hair lightly. "Rapunzel, you don't know that for sure."

I pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were sad and lonely, the strands of gray in her dark brown hair were much more noticeable and longer, the look on her face was the same as the doctor's the day Dad died; defeat. It seemed like she didn't even care Eugene was about to die.

"Yes I do. We have to do something, we have to stop them, call off the war, anything!" I argued.

"And then what?" she asked rhetorically. It almost sounded harsh coming from her of all people; my own mother. "Lose our kingdom; sell our souls to King William, all to save two thousand lives instead a hundred thousand? Is that what you want me to do? Is that what you would do if you were Queen?"

I backed away from her, speechless and shocked. "But. . .but-"

"No 'buts' Rapunzel. This is my final decision." She said firmly.

I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. She was refusing to save other people's lives? Refusing to save the man I loved? "Why?" I asked.

"Because what you need to do is more important than what you want to do."

I took in a deep breath. I was tired of that answer, I was tired of people trying to stop me from what I wanted. I went through 18 years of that, is 18 not enough? I looked back at her with determination. "Well, if you won't save him. . .I will." was the last thing I said to her before walking out.

!#$%^&*()

The War: Phase 1

Third person POV

It was time; time to get this war started. They've been training and preparing for months on end just for this moment, but not even that could prepare them for what was to come.

The men gathered for one last time at the base. Their armor and weapons were fitted, sharpened, and polished to perfection. They were all waiting for Commander Thames to give the order to march, so that they can finally meet the enemy in battle. They whispered and murmured amongst each other, talking about their families and friends, and how proud they all were to see their boys grow up into soldiers, even though they all secretly prayed for their safe return. The sense of pride in the air was immense and felt strongly throughout them; they really did think they were going to win this war.

Then the Commander took to the top of the podium and shouted "CORONANS! FAAAALLLL IN!" his voice echoed and resonated though the canyon before them. They quickly stood at attention in perfectly straight narrow columns, all two thousand of them in attendance and waiting to march.

"Gentlemen, two short months ago you were all spineless, cowardly, and undeserving to be even called 'men'. But when I look at you all now, I do not see those men. I see courage! I see honor! I see warriors!" The men applauded and cheered at the words.

The Commander raised his hand for silence. "Not all of you will live to see victory, and not all of you will live to see your families and friends again. But I say this, to all of those who are destined to die. 'Fallen, yes. Forgotten, never.' You will live on in the hearts and minds of every citizen of Corona. They will never forget what you men have for this country! For this kingdom! The blood of our martyrs will not be in vain. We will win. BECAUSE WE MARCH FOR FREEDOM! WE MARCH FOR OUR FAMILY! WE MARCH FOR CORONA!" He said pumping his fist forcefully in the air, and again the men howled and cheered at his words. It lifted their spirits, any remaining doubts and fears they had vanished from thought. Because every word rung true; they were fighting for freedom, for family, and for the kingdom.

"AND WE! MARCH! NOW!" he finished.

And with that, they turned and headed deeper into the canyon. Leaving behind the base many had called a second home. They didn't know it at the time, but it would be the last time they ever saw it.

!#$%^&*()

When they reached a rocky field, overlooking the ocean, at the end of the canyon, they stopped. The high walls and narrow road provided excellent protection. There was no way an armada the size of Tortuga's would ever fit through the narrow canyon. They would all have to thin their lines causing them to bottle up at the passage, and waiting there was the army of Corona to stop them. As confident and determined as ever before. Whatever they lacked in numbers they made up for in courage, not to mention skill. This is where they would hold back the most powerful army in the region.

"Captain." Commander Thames called.

"Yes Commander."

"Take the all archers up the walls, you'll get a far better position and range from there. When they charge, wait for my signal to fire and don't give yourself away until I do."

"Right away, Commander. Move it men! Scale up the walls!" he shouted to them as they climbed and disappeared atop the high ground.

"Helmets on gentlemen, this is gonna be a hard fight." He said as he placed his own on, and they obeyed.

A few minutes later, they felt a rumbling coming from the ground. Pebbles were shaking and bouncing up and down, any sane person would think it was an earthquake, but no. . .it was an army. Then, they heard the loud stomping of feet, tens of thousands of feet, coming from beyond the field. They felt it before they heard it, and they heard it before they saw it. So what would they look like?

Another minute later, they saw it. An army of men in dirty rags, with swords, shields, and spears. They wore no armor, their shields were the size of large plates, and they march so sloppy and unorganized.

"Rags." Eugene said with a tone of disgust, and even a bit offended "They send an army of rags. They don't think we'll put up a fight."

"Pawns, Eugene. Pawns. And never underestimate your opponent." The Commander corrected.

They would've said more but then, the army charged toward them at full speed. They might look weak, but when you see tens of thousands of them running toward you, they don't look so weak now huh? They were getting closer and closer only about a hundred meters away now. They roared at them, using their numbers and screams to scare them, but it wouldn't work, they had no fear.

"GIVE THEM NOTHING!" Commander Thames shouted as they drew even closer. "BUT TAKE FROM THEM, EVERYTHING!

**A/N: Review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hello everyone. Now is the moment you've all been waiting for. WARNING: IF YOU HAVE SMALL CHILDREN IN THE ROOM, COVER THEIR EYES. Ok, so this is gonna sound very, VERY dark on some parts but just so you know I AM AGAINST ALL WAR, except when someone else starts it, then I just wanna kick their ass, but you get what I mean. I also feel very ironic writing this on the day of Ashura (which I'm guessing 99% of you don't know what it is) but I had school off today so I felt like it. Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Reverend Lovejoy: Thank you sooo much. Yep, it's this chap, with more vividness!**

**Nikkibecket1997: Not in this chapter, I'm still a bit conflicted on that part but I'll work it out.**

Chap 24

The War: Phase 1 (still)

Third person POV

"GIVE THEM NOTHING!" The Commander shouted, tightening his grip on his weapon, as his eyes burned with rage. "BUT TAKE FROM THEM, EVERYTHING!"

"AAAAHHHH!" The men roared back at their enemies, who were approaching fast, very, very fast. Commander Thames, Eugene, the pub thugs, and over a dozen other men stood in the front row, they'd be the first to kill a Tortugan. . .but they might also be the first to die.

A few seconds later, the two sides collided at the entrance of the canyon. Shields and bodies were squeezed together as the two fought for dominance. They pushed and shoved and grunted at each other, waiting for one side to overpower the second. It was to be the Coronans; the force from the number of Turtugans was too much for them, and they were pushed back deeper inside the canyon; 4 feet, then 10 feet, then 20 feet, making long skid marks against the dusty brown ground. But then, Commander Thames shouted "HOOOOLLD!"

With great difficulty, the men obeyed and dug their feet firmer into the ground; then they stopped moving back. The plan was working, the Tortugans were getting bottled up in the narrow walls, and quite a few were getting squashed by the pressure. "PUUUUSSHH!" he shouted.

Slowly, one foot at a time, they pushed back. The men would give one large shove, with all their might, and send the enemy back a foot or two. The Tortugans would try to run back at them, but they would be waiting this time, with their spears lowered. The Tortugans unlucky enough to be in the front screamed at the people behind them and tried to run; they were pushed to their deaths by their own comrades. The fear in their eyes once they saw their own blood was unforgettable; it ran down their chests, and mouths, and legs, staining their rags. They looked at their wounds with shock and horror, like they couldn't imagine this was their final second on this Earth. Red bodies were falling left and right. And this happened again, and again, and again, until they reached the end of the canyon were they started.

The whole thing was. . .exhilarating. . .and yet, terrifying. It felt good to feel the corpses beneath your feet, it felt good to feel your spear shake as it pierced through the body of your enemy, and it felt good to have your mind go blank to all things and surroundings, only to focus on yourself and the man in front of you, who must die by your hand. But deep down, this was madness. No rational human being would ever think such a thought, but there is no rationality in war. . .and that is what's so terrifying; no reason, no remorse, no mercy.

The men had finally broken free to the outside, but there were thousands waiting for them in larger groups. There was wide open space outside; the Tortugans could easily overwhelm them. Still, you could see the fear in their eyes as they watched their comrade's fall. And so, they approached slowly, with their weapons lowered as well; obviously eager not to make the same mistake twice. But the men had a surprise of their own. "CAPTAIN! FIIIIRRE!" The Commander ordered.

Not even 2 seconds passed before they saw their arrows fly above their heads, raining down on the enemy. They raised their shields on instincts but were far too small to give them any real protection. Dozens upon dozens of additional bodies fell to the ground with arrows blanketing the corpses. The men just stood still and watched the show with mischievous, ice cold smiles. "Why don't we take 'em for a swim, eh?" asked Vladimir.

The man wasn't known to be a talkative kinda guy, but that certainly sent a few laughs through the crowd. But the Commander wasn't laughing; his maniacal smile grew wider, and his eyes flickered the way they always do at an evil thought. Then, he said "Let's." and charged.

Eugene shrugged and charged alongside him, followed by the others who shouted "Off the cliffs!" The archers were making good work of driving them back, but now it was time for some fun. The Commander was spinning, jabbing and stabbing one person after another with his spear, and bashing their heads with his shield with movements as smooth as ice, before the shaft finally splintered. Still he drew his sword, as if nothing had happened, and kept fighting. The others were putting up a great fight, looking out for each other's backs while they swung and shoved their remaining enemies closer to the edge of the cliffs. Most of the Turtugans had run back to safety after the archers started shooting, but there were still a good fifty or so trapped behind with their backs to a 200 foot cliff overlooking the bluish-white sea. Their feet were starting to slip as they were pushed farther and farther back onto the cliff, the fear in their eyes was immense and their lips quivered once they looked down from the height. "Have mercy!" one of them begged, his hands cupped together, tears falling down his eyes, his body and knees shaking wildly.

The Commander stared into his eyes emotionless. "My apologizes." He said to him casually. "I'm all out." Then he kicked the man square in the chest, causing him to fall off the cliff. You could hear his screams on the long trip down. The other men followed and shoved the rest of 'em off. The expressions on their faces as they fell were pure horror; they'd probably have a heart attack from fear on the way down if the fall didn't kill 'em after.

Then, Commander Thames held his sword above his head in victory, the men cheered in response. The battle was over. . .or so they thought.

Then they heard a sound. It sounded like a _'whhissshh'_ as if the wind was gusting, but it wasn't. In the distance, they could see millions of tiny black objects rising up from the ground and into the sky. The bright mid-day sunlight was being blotted out by their blackness and casting an enormous shadow over them. They were moving fast and coming closer and closer to them; then they finally noticed. . .they were arrows.

The Commander noticed this before they did. He said "Cowards." directed at the projectiles, and then "EVERYONE, SHIELDS UP!" before kneeling down and placing his shield above his head. They obeyed and followed his example. Soon after, the arrows made contact with the bronze metal, making a sharp _'ping'_ sounds with each arrow. And then they heard something none of 'em thought they would ever hear; Commander Thames. . .laughing hysterically. It was almost as frightening as the arrows, which were still raining down. "What's so funny?" a concerned Eugene asked his uncle.

He stopped laughing for a second, turned to him, and said "Wonderful day for a tan, isn't it?" The men could barely hold back their laughter and still keep their shields up at the same time. But they finally gave out holding back and exploded with laughter, luckily the arrows had stopped falling by that time. They stood up and brushed themselves off. They didn't lose a single man and managed to push their larger enemy back; an almost impossible thing. "Commander!" the voice of the Captain shouted, him and a group of archers with their crossbows were running up to them.

"The enemy is retreating sir! They're running back across the border!" he said to him.

Commander Thames nodded. "Good, they won't be coming back soon; tomorrow at the earliest. They'll have to regroup, and that should give us enough time to rest for the day." He then turned to the men, "You've all fought like true Coronans! We set up camp in the canyon, everyone get some rest for tomorrow. Captain, keep the men up on the walls, rest up, but stay on the lookout. You're our eyes and ears now."

"Of course sir. We will not let you down." He replied with a salute. "You heard him men! Set up camp! Now!"

They all walked back to the interior of the canyon, all except the Commander and Eugene. They were standing at the cliff watching the sun slowly sink closer to the sea. The Commander sighed, "Go get some rest. Trust me, you'll need it." He said to the younger man.

He snickered. "With a view like this and after everything I just did, that's gonna be tough. It's not gonna get any easier, is it?"

"It never does."

"So what's the plan? I mean the actual plan, not some vague example like 'holding them back'. What's really going through your mind?"

"Well, to put it simply; kill of many of them as we can, then pray to God that William gives up."

He pondered over it for a moment. "It seems to be working great so far." He said jokingly.

The Commander smiled at him. "Rest. Now. And don't make me find you here later." He said before walking toward the canyon.

But Eugene couldn't rest. He had too many things on his mind, and it wasn't just this war. He wondered what Rapunzel was doing right now, he wondered if she was still mad at him, and he wondered if she would ever forgive him for doing the horrible things he had done today. It bothered him, he'd just killed God knows how many people with his own hands, and like he said. . .this was only gonna get worse. Far worse.

**A/N: REVIEW. . .please :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Hey everyone, I'm baaaaaaack! I don't really have much to say so I'll just go straight to the replies then the story. Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Disneyisbeautiful: Thank you. Ya know, you'd think you get tired of hearing comments on your writing but. . .I never do ;)**

**Reverend Lovejoy: Of course, but I just wanted to point out that I did, considering my choice of words in the chap.**

Chap 25

The War: Phase 2

Eugene's POV, 2 days later

It didn't get worse. . .at least not in the past few days. It was like going through a high pressure, life or death routine. Every day, at the same time, at the same place, we'd fight it out. And every time, it would always end with a giant volley of enemy arrows, and we'd get the same result; victory. But there were two things that did change; their tactics and our casualties. Yep, you heard me right, casualties. We lost 6 men in those two days. And each one felt like a stab through the heart. I didn't know them personally or anything, but I've seen them around the base helping out a few times. Their names were Chris. . .George. . .Eli. . .Tareq. . .Mikhail. . .and Joshua. They all came from different backgrounds and areas of the kingdom. Each one had a unique story of how they came to be soldiers of Corona. Stories. . .that will never be told, that will never be known, and that will never be remembered. That's how a normal soldier dies. But not a Coronan.

Their names and faces are etched in our minds, calling for victory and vengeance. The day after we sent their bodies back to their families in the kingdom, we fought harder, and with more aggression. It was like being in a haze of rage and anger. Nothing else mattered, because we were out for revenge, and by God. . .we got it; 90 Tortugans dead for 6 of ours. That's a 15 to 1 kill ratio. But even with all that, there were tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of them, and there were only two thousand of us. We were limited, and no one was coming to our aid if we needed it. I guess why their deaths mattered so much.

But today was an important day. Word had spread that the king of Tortuga himself would be arriving to talk to my uncle. Everyone thought the bastard would be here say 'I give up!' and leave us alone or something like that. Why wouldn't they? We were kicking his ass to the curb there was no way he could beat us.

"So. . .remind me again why you wanted me here." I asked my uncle. We were standing in the middle of the field waiting for the oh so great King William. Our backs to the two thousand men supposed to be covering us, and facing the almost endless amount of others who wanted us as dead meat.

He shrugged. "They kill me; I might as well take you down with me."

I laughed shortly. "Yeah, very funny."

But his expression didn't change as he turned to stare at me intently. I started laughing nervously. "You were kidding right?"

He sighed through his nose and rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to slap me upside the head. "The reason you're here is because this is the closest you'll get to politics on a battlefield. Politics is all about negotiating, something I'm well known not to be very fond of, but essential when running a kingdom. Especially when it comes to foreign relations with other kingdoms. Need I explain further?" he said raising his eyebrows.

"Got it; negotiating."

"Good."

There were a few moments of silence before I got up the nerve to ask my other question. It's about Rapunzel, and it's been bugging me ever since I left her. "Can that. . .apply in a relationship too?"

He sighed again. "Eugene, you're talking to a man whose first real love left him because he didn't leave his job. What could I possibly know about negotiating with women?"

'Probably more than me' I thought. There's not a woman I've met that I haven't stolen from in one way or another; but he doesn't need to know that.

Suddenly, those thoughts were forgotten when we saw the Tortugan soldiers part ways for an elaborate throne with a set of stairs connected to it. It was made of white marble and decked with strands of gold and silver down the steps, about 12 feet long and 10 feet wide; all carried on the backs and shoulders of dozens of bony skinned men. The thought of even having to carry all that weight was just inhumane. And sitting on the top, could only be King William of Tortuga; he had dirty blonde hair, a light tan, icy blue eyes, and wore an expensive black fur coat. This is the first time I've ever seen him face to face, but I could tell he wasn't pleased with this 'meeting'. He sat on his throne, trying to hide his discomfort with a sense of pride in his posture; his expression was cold and almost had a sneer across his lips, as if he were frustrated or annoyed.

The throne stopped directly in front of us, the stairs leading down so we'd be only a few feet apart. He sat up from his throne and briskly strutted down the steps, as if he had all the time in the world and we meant nothing. Once he reached the last step, which was still 3 feet off the ground because of the men's height, another man bowed before it for the King to use as another step. Now that's just cruel.

"So this is the best Corona has to offer?" King William said unimpressed, his sneer turning into a smug grin.

"The best Corona has to offer. . ." Uncle Thames retaliated quickly, "has killed 15 of your men for every one of our dead in only two days. I think it is you who hasn't offered his best. Did you really think so lowly of us to not even put up a fight?"

His grin faded a bit and his left eye twitched at his response. "In due time Commander, in due time." Then his tone changed from one of seriousness and smugness into something more normal. "But I must give credit where credit is due. You have fought bravely, not even I can deny that. And despite my. . .initial impression of your men, they have proved to be quite skilled indeed. They would a fine asset to any army, don't you agree?"

Uncle Thames eyes narrowed at him, he sensed something was wrong with this situation, and I sensed something too. "If you're not here to offer a peace settlement, I suggest you crawl back to your throne and leave the battlefield to the real men."

But the King stared back unflinchingly. "Oh I have something far better than a peace settlement to offer you."

Uncle furrowed his brow in response, the atmosphere growing more suspicious by the minute. "And what would that be?"

He held his arms out dramatically and said "Gold. If you stand aside and let my army pass, I can make you all very rich men. I hear you were once a mercenary back in the day, I understand gold is the standard payment, correct?"

It was Uncle Thames's turn to sneer. "I've left that profession behind me."

The King raised his eyebrow. "Have you? The only difference between a soldier and a mercenary, are where his loyalties lie. Where do yours lie?"

"With the ruler of Corona, her majesty Queen Diana! And I don't plan on switching sides." He said harshly.

The King shook his head. "Such a shame, I could've made you a warlord of Corona." Then, he took a step closer and got in his face. "If you want to see my best, so be it. No more holding back."

Uncle's eyes then flickered. "That goes both ways, your highness."

With a wave of his coat, the King walked back toward his throne and sat at the helm, the men carrying it marching back across their lines.

I stood the dumbstruck, watching the two stare daggers at each other. After they drew farther in the background I said. "Remember what you said about it getting worse, that's gonna start now, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is." Was all he said in return, before walking back to our own lines.

I shook my head and said "So much for learning politics." Before following.

**A/N: I know what most of you are thinking 'Where's Rapunzel?' but I didn't have time to put her in. I swear she'll be in the next one.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Hey guys, have ya ever had one of those days where you couldn't go to sleep until you publish a story or chapter and it drives you crazy all night until you finally do it. Well let me just say it's 12:58 am right now and I'm having one of those days. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Tangledsawesome: Thanks for that, and that story's on hiatus. Nut I might be going back to it in the next few months after I start a new story.**

**Punzie the Platypus: Why did you change your name? I really liked the old one, but hey, that's your choice not mine. Thank you, but I didn't really find 'em that 'witty' but thanks still :)**

**P.s. I don't own Tangled!**

Chap 26

Rapunzel's POV 2 days earlier.

Rope for escaping; check.

Lantern for lighting; check.

Very thick black cloak for warmth; check.

Frying pan strapped to waist for any 'problems'; check.

Pascal on my shoulder for. . .well, I couldn't just leave him behind could I? Anyway, check. It seems I have everything I needed to escape and find Eugene. Maximus would be my ride and was waiting for me outside the palace gates. All I had to do was make it that far, and everything else from there would be a piece of cake right? I would make it out of the palace, find Eugene, and force him to come back with me, thus saving his no good sorry behind; whether he liked it or not. Because I am not, repeat NOT, going to let the love of my life die on me twice.

With that in mind and my determination as strong as ever, I walked out onto my balcony. My rope at hand, I knotted it to the railing while I gripped the end and gave it one last tug just to make sure it was secure; it was. I took a deep breath before looking down from the railing. It was about a 50 or 60 foot drop to the ground from my room, which was at the lower right corner of the palace. This would be easier than I thought. My old blonde hair was 70 feet long so this'll be close enough. The guards always patrol around my 'tower', but the lanterns they were holding gave them away in the twilight hour; the sun was going down over the sea to the west and leaving behind a shadow of night. It was the perfect time to escape.

I looked to Pascal on my shoulder, checking if he was ready or not. Now that I think about it, he never did like heights, but as long as I was there he managed to keep calm. He was his usual bright scaly green color but his eyes were concerned, as if saying to me _'Is this really the best idea?'_

Sighing, I say to him "Pascal, we have to save him." as if I were talking to a 10 year old.

His expression dropped as he rolled his eyes. Then he squeaked _'I know. But isn't there a better way? Like going during the daytime, leaving your mom a note, and not jumping off heights again? You know it's been months since you've done this before, and your hair was much thicker and softer than this.'_

"Pascal, I've been doing this since I was 3. And so what if I haven't done this in a while? That doesn't mean I'm out of practice."

He raised a scaly eyebrow. _'It doesn't?'_ he squeaked sarcastically. Ok, he's been picking up way too many things from Eugene.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Are you ready or not?" I asked trying not to sound annoyed.

He shrugged and held tighter onto my cloak. Pascal might just be a chameleon to some people, but he's my oldest friend and knows me better than anyone, even Eugene himself. He knew I wouldn't change my mind. More importantly, he knew the best thing he could do was come with me and keep me from doing something stupid and staying out of trouble.

That argument settled, I gripped the rope tighter. Looking to Pascal again, he gave a small encouraging smile and nod. We could never get mad or annoyed by each other; we've been through far too much for that to happen. I took one final deep breath before hopping over the railing and sliding down the rope.

The wind in my hair, the smoothness of the rope sliding through my fingers, the thrill of falling at a hundred miles an hour; it. . .felt. . .amazing. I wanted to laugh or shout 'WAHOO!' but that would've attracted the guards, so I kept my excitement to myself. I pulled tighter on the rope to slow myself, and I felt the rush leaving my body as I came to a stop at the ground.

With the sun fully set and the cover of night to help, I sneaked stealthily past the gates. Crouching, ducking, and hiding every time I saw a guard come my way. Maximus was outside next to an empty fruit stand close to the gates, searching for any food left. Poor boy was probably hungry; I should've remembered to bring some apples, oh well.

"Come here Max." I whispered.

Once he saw me, he completely forgot about a snack and approached me. I started scratching under his chin and behind his ear; he loves it when I do that. "Are you ready boy?" I asked.

Maximus nodded and I proceeded to hop onto the saddle. "Let's go." I said as he took off through the town and into the forest. I'm gonna find Eugene. No matter how long it takes, I will find him and bring him home.

!#$%^&*()

The War: Phase 2

Third person POV, present day (3 days after Rapunzel escapes)

The men woke up to a cloudy sky and a thick fog hovering low to the ground that day. It was not a good sign. You could barely see anything past 15 feet, which would definitely keep the archers out of action. The cool moisture in the fog was almost spine-chilling on top of the already cold temperature from the lack of sunshine. The men were just wondering around their tents, sensing the tension and mystery in the air; like animals sensing a storm brewing. Something bad was about to happen, that was very, very clear to everyone.

The Captain and Commander were having a conversation as both men finished strapping on their respective armor for today's upcoming battle.

"You want me to do what!" the Captain almost shouted. "Sir, we can't do it, it's far too risky. What if we were to hit our own men?"

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "Do you doubt your own men's accuracy skills Captain?"

"I do not doubt anything." He replied firmly.

"Well if you refuse to follow orders, you obviously doubt my leadership right now." The other man responded quickly.

The Captain was about to talk back, but thought better of it at the last second. Insulting each other would get them nowhere; they had to work together. Attempting to keep his cool, the Captain sighed and rubbed his temples before saying "Commander, you're asking me to deploy and ready the archers when they can't see ten feet in front of their damn faces. How the Hell are they going to shoot their targets from the top of the canyon?"

A sly smile slowly played its way across the Commander's lips. "I don't remember saying anything about the men being on top of the walls Captain."

The Captain furrowed his brow. "I'm afraid I don't understand sir."

Commander Thames nodded and leaned forward, speaking in a hushed tone to him, as if sharing a secret. Once he finished, the Commander pulled back to see the Captains stunned expression. He nodded slowly before saying "That just might work."

"Then go ready the men, we have much to prepare for." He said still smiling that

!#$%^&*()

A few moments later, and the Coronans were lined up in a phalanx position, the men's shields stacked against one another with their spears and blades poking out of the remaining spaces, waiting outside the canyon and prepared for any assault that might come from the mysterious fog before them. The wind howled against it, making uncomforting noises to add to the intense atmosphere. The men hated waiting for their enemy to arrive, it only sharpened their senses to the point of anxiety, and the opaque surroundings weren't helping with that.

But then, a long line of human shaped figures could be seen coming out of the fog. As they drew closer, the men started breathing heavily; this is the best Tortuga would give them, and they were eager to show them they were better. Once the figures stepped out of their foggy cover, the men stared at them with daggers in their eyes. The Tortugans wore baggy black robes under what looked like a silvery armor fit for a knight, it was a strange but also lethal combination for a uniform; agility mixed with heavy protection. That wasn't even the strangest part; the heads were wrapped with the black cloth and they wore plain silver masks, which just showed the eyes, to cover their faces. The men have never seen these kind of Tortugan soldiers before, nor have they been heard of. They had no shields, and no spears unlike the regular army, just two swords strapped to their sides waiting to be unsheathed. It was as if the entire armada of knights were shrouded in secrecy. And then, in the blink of an eye, both sides exploded as they drew their weapons and charged at each other with a rage burning inside they couldn't contain anymore.

The Coronans broke the phalanx formation first; the enemy's numbers were tiny compared to the regulars so there was no need to defend themselves from a massive attack. There were only about ten thousand or less but it was obvious they would be a much, much greater opponent than anything they've faced before.

The Tortugans were quick with their swords, displaying years of practice and training while still wearing heavy armor. They were the best Tortuga could offer, and whose loyalty wasn't to their kingdom but to the King himself. King William was their commander and they would only follow his orders. But they had also heard of the now legendary Coronans; they heard rumors of them being highly skilled, merciless barbarians, always enraged with cravings for blood and killing hundreds of their fellow comrades in a matter of days. This would be their ultimate test of loyalty.

The two greatest armies in the region were now only feet apart and no sign of giving up. And as in the case of all wars, not everyone would live to see the light of day.

**A/N: Hope you guys liked it, so please REVIEW!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Hello people, Happy Winter Solstice! Did you know that means today's the shortest day of the entire year? I did. But anyway, I would've updated sooner but I just bought a new book I seriously can't put down right now, but enough about my life, enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer:**

**Punzie the Platypus: Really? I love long and pain filled stories ;) but if I had to guess, I'd say you mixed Tangled and Phineas and Ferb, right? I'm not really a big fan of Disney Channel by the way.**

**Glamorous Shellz: That's too bad, cuz from now till the second last chap it's all war. But keep reading!**

Chap 27

The War: Phase 2 (still)

They fought. They fought like there was no tomorrow, as if all the hatred and rage they felt toward each other had just exploded like a powder keg. Eugene, Vladimir, and a few hundred others took the two thousand on the left. Hook, Big Nose, and another few hundred took the two thousand on the right. Leaving Commander Thames and the others with the rest, but strangely, the Captain and archers were nowhere to be found. Where they could possibly be, the Commander wouldn't say.

The Tortugans were agile and fast; at first they would run, jump over the men, and then slash downward with their swords like acrobats. But the Coronans were smart, and had large shields, after they saw the first Tortugans do it to deadly affect, they pointed their spears upward and caught some in mid air. The enemy adapted, and fought with their feet on the ground this time. Dead bodies from both sides were slowly but surely piling up on the rocky ground one by one. This was gonna be bloody, both sides knew that from the beginning, and honestly; they wouldn't have it any other way.

These back and forth battles and movements were exhilarating and horrifying at the same time. Every man knew he had a chance to die in this battle, which would no doubt be the greatest any of them would ever witness.

Eugene, Vladimir, and the others were keeping the mysterious Tortugan warriors busy; they fought in close, tight formations where they could watch each other's backs while still fending off the attackers. Vladimir was kicking ass with his signature double-bladed axe, slicing through enemy torsos as if they were logs of wood, and bellowed in rage with each swing. Eugene was doing well, considering he had at least three men to occupy, his sword was drawn and stained with blood along its sharp edge. They had 6 swords and he only had 1 plus a shield. He might've been outnumbered, but he had trained with and lasted the longest against the best swordsman in the army and gave them no opportunity to strike back. He attacked first, used his shield to pound their faces so hard you could see dents on their masks, while his sword struck at their now disoriented bodies. They tried to defend themselves but he was too fast for them; one of the men made a mistake and was left exposed, Eugene went in for the kill and stabbed him in the gut. He then quickly spun around, slitting the throat of the second in the process, and stabbed the third straight through his heart. They all fell to the ground dead one after the other.

On the other side with Hook Hand and Big Nose, things were looking good. . .for the most part. They two thugs and best friends were standing back to back both facing 4 Tortugans with their wicked swords slicing dramatically at the air. The 8 attackers thought they'd cornered two short, chubby Coronans but they had no idea who they were dealing with. The two only exchanged a wordless glance with smug smiles before attacking their opponents, catching them completely off guard.

But it was the Commander who was doing the best out of all, he slashed at the enemies left and right without so much a glance, not wasting anytime at all to go after more once he finished taking out one man after another. This was child's play to him, but still this was the best that would be given and they were putting up quite a fight.

But not every Coronan was so lucky. You could see the bodies of dozens of dead Coronan soldiers lying on the ground, soaked in their own blood with multiple stab and slash wounds. The enemy was getting smarter; once they saw a Coronan fall to the floor, they would gang up on him like a mob and mercilessly stab him to death. They would distract a group of soldiers and then lead them into an ambush through the gray, misty fog, and pick them out one by one.

And then, a loud "_RRRAAAAAAAARR!"_ cut through the fighting as everyone froze for a second. It was loud, but not like from an army. No, this loud roar came from a single man. Then, everyone continued where they left off as a giant figure over 7 feet tall wearing black robes and silver armor stepped out of the fog, brandishing two large axes in his hands. His face was scarred and harsh, more creature than human, with big crooked teeth and bulging eyes. He was staring directly at Commander Thames who was still fighting of a group of Tortugans. He was the man his master, King William had pointed out for him to personally, and painfully kill. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran toward the Commander, knocking down any and all men who stood in his way. Commander Thames had noticed the giant coming as the thing raised its axe to strike him, so grabbed the nearest Tortugan to him and sidestepped. The giant didn't stop the axe as it made a gaping line through his comrade's skull, killing him instantly, and refocused on the Commander.

"You're big." The Commander stated, mildly impressed, "But I've seen bigger." before charging at him with only his sword and shield.

The giant swung his axe but the Commander ducked and slashed at its leg. It roared in pain as it got on one knee, to the perfect height for the Commander to attack. He smacked his shield against his skull but shockingly, it didn't have much effect. So he did it again, over and over and over again with fierce intensity, but the giant pushed him back 6 feet and found his footing before charging at the fallen man. It brought its axe down on him, but he was quick and raised his shield just in the nick of time, but even that couldn't stop the axe from cutting straight through the bronze metal, and missing his face by mere centimeters. The Commander threw the broken shield away, taking with it the axe, got back to his feet, and picked up a spear from the ground, staring with a murderous fire in his eyes at the larger warrior.

It struck first, slashing downward but the Commander dodged and swung his spear like a club, making a large line of blood through the black robes of its chest. That made it angrier as it swung again, but this time the Commander backed up over a dead body and tripped back. The axe was coming down on him, and his instincts took over immediately, grabbing shaft of the axe to stop it only inches from his face. His hands shook as he fought against the giant's strength to push it down, and the giant was winning out. Slowly, the axe drew closer to his skin and was cutting a jagged scar into his right cheek. "CAPTAIN! NOOOOWWW!" he shouted and screamed in pain as the axe drew more blood.

Suddenly, the ground started to move, as arrows started flying everywhere through the thick fog impaling only the Tortugans. Men in dusty gray cloaks could be seen rising from the floor with bows and arrows at hand. And then, three arrows suddenly appeared on the giant's chest, causing it to drop the axe and stagger back while two more pierced his body. The thing had 5 arrows in its chest and it was still managing to stand. Commander Thames slowly rose to his feet, blood running down his cheek as his eyes and hands were shaking with that undying rage. He gripped his spear tighter and charged at the now weak giant. He roared as he jumped up to its height, and stabbed his spear through its neck and out the other side with so much force it broke in half on the landing. The giant took two more steps before falling to the ground with blood spewing from its mouth.

Once the archers started firing the Tortugans began withdrawing. They had no shields to protect themselves against arrows, they had no other choice. The battle wasn't completely over, but the scarred Commander Thames raised his broken spear shaft in victory to the loud cheers of the men around him.

Hook Hand, Big Nose, and a few others were chasing off any remaining Tortugans until they heard the cheers of victory through the fog, they knew they had won. Hook and Nose were about 15 feet from each other with Nose's back to the fog the Tortugans had withdrawn to. He signaled Hook they should head back, but then Hook noticed something in the fog behind him. A large figure with an arm raised in the air was coming closer quick, it was a horseman. . .holding up his sword to strike. Hook's eye widened as he shouted "NOSE! LOOK OUT!" but he realized it too late. Big Nose turned to see what he meant, and he saw a sword heading straight for him. Hook watched as the blade slit his best friend's throat, spilling blood down his body, right before his very eyes. The horseman then turned and fled back into the fog, but Hook had seen him, this horseman had black robes with golden armor unlike the silver of the other Tortugans, there was something different about this one, something evil.

Hook ran over to his friend and sank to his knees sobbing as he saw all the blood and the unmoving brown eyes of his comrade. "HEEELLLPP!" he managed to shout as he continued to sob and cradle the body in his arms.

A few seconds later, a crowd was running toward him. "Hook! What's—" Eugene stopped mid-sentence as he saw what Hook had in his arms. The atmosphere of the growing crowd instantly sank from celebration to dread in an instant. Big Nose, their friend, their comrade, the man who proclaimed himself more a lover than a fighter, who had found his true love only to leave her to fight the war. . .would never come back to see her. All victories have a cost, and the Coronans paid dearly for this.

Too bad it wouldn't matter in the end.

**A/N: This is it people. There are only a few more chaps till this is completed! And I still have huge surprises in store, one especially. . .you'll never see coming. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Hey guys, I AM SO SO SORRY FOR UPDATING SO LATE. It's been what, almost two weeks? Again, I'm really sorry but I've been having a MAJOR case of writers block with this chap. I've been driving myself crazy for not knowing what to write. I know where I'm going but getting there is so hard :( Anyway, enjoy.**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Tangledsawesome: oh I have great surprises but I can't guarantee you anyone on who I'll kill or not.**

**Nikkibecket1997: What? It's just Big Nose. . .jeez wait till I finish this story, then you'll probably torture me.**

**Punzie the Platypus: Ahhh, I see. I actually thought of doing that once BECAUSE my mom wanted to read my story, but she never found it ;)**

**P.s. I own nothing.**

Chap 28

The War: Phase 3 (that night)

37. They lost 37 men today, including Big Nose. Though they knew the battle wouldn't turn out pretty, none of them could have ever guessed it would've been that bad. To make matters worse, everyone was in recovery mode; excluding the archers there wasn't a single Coronan that wasn't bruised, cut, beaten, broken, or any other type of injury among them. Most got off lightly taking a few punches here and a few cuts there like the Commander, but there were many, about 70 or so, very serious and near fatal cases too. Those numbers plus the dead would leave more than a hundred men out of action, and that was a hundred men they couldn't afford to lose. Each and every man fighting was as priceless to them as gold.

And losing that many friends. . .well, to say the men didn't take it well would be a very obvious, and very grave, understatement.

They all gathered around a bonfire in the middle of the canyon, the archers and scouts watching overhead under a clear, starry sky. The dead and seriously injured were sent back to their family's just moments ago. A depressing silence hung in the air as medics turned soldiers wrapped and bandaged the men's injuries as best they could, using whatever spare cloth and medicine they could get their hands on. They all kept quiet and absently stared at the flames, no one was in the talking mood either. Everyone was feeling down. It didn't matter that they killed seven times as many Tortugans than they lost men. It didn't matter that they won the battle. Because there's a cold cruelty to statistics; numbers can't show you the men who died, it can't show you the lives they lived or the people they left behind. Winning a battle does automatically make you feel like a winner, and none of them certainly felt like winners.

"So what do we do now?" asked a disheartened Eugene to his uncle.

The Commander let out a heavy sigh as he dabbed at the new scar on his cheek, "What we do best; improvise."

"And how do we do that?" asked another soldier.

The Commander sighed again. As much as he tried to hide it, he too was not immune to the sorrow of losing men. Accustomed to it, yes. But not immune. And at the moment he didn't have all the answers; the men, including himself, were tiring fast, they were losing strength in numbers, and their enemy seemed so endless in size and scope. And deep down, he had a gut feeling King William was still holding back; saving his grand scheme for last. It was that that worried him most.

There had always been that nagging thought in the back of his mind; this was a suicide mission, doomed to fail from the very beginning. No one thought they would live to do battle with the Tortugans more than once. It was because of that thought he decided to use the dam as insurance in the first place. And yet. . .they did live. They fought and survived, they defeated them battle after battle. Two things considered unimaginable just a week ago.

So he put on his brave face and gazed at the men. But before he could get the chance to speak, Hook Hand appeared beside him. He was covered in dust and dirt as if he'd been rolling around on the floor; his expression was emotionless and distraught so it seemed he was in a trance-like state. "I only have one regret in my life now," he began slowly.

"It's not that I could've saved him. And it's not that I lost him. . . It's that I never told him how much he meant to me. Nose was. . .he was gonna get married after the war, and he asked me to be his best man. Nose was my best friend, as close a brother as I'll ever have. I never told him those things, I never told him I was honored to stand at his side. . ." he trailed off rubbing his wet eyes.

Vladimir appeared next to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Commander Thames looked at him with an understanding and pitiful gaze, "My heart is filled with sorrow at your loss." He said softly.

Hook slowly looked back in disbelief. "Sorrow?" he questioned, his expression hardening quickly. A fire lit in his eyes as his mouth twitched almost unnaturally. "I have filled mine. . .with HATE." He spat coldly.

The Commander smiled that devilish grin at the remark, "Perfect." He replied. Vladimir gave him a toothy grin and patted him hard on the shoulder, "Welcome back Hook."

And then, everybody started patting him on the back or shaking his hand or just saying encouraging words. It wasn't because they sympathized with him, they did, but because he embodied an example to be followed; endearing despite all the hardships of loss. And they envied him for it.

But the moment didn't last long.

Just then, the Captain appeared, flanked by two scouts. Their faces showed a mix of concern and terror. Everyone's eyes turned to them immediately. Obviously something very big just happened. Something bad.

"Commander," the Captain began worriedly. "These men have something to report; they've stumbled across some very grave things."

"T-Tunnels. . .sir." One of the scouts said nervously.

"Tunnels?" the Commander repeated. "Leading to where exactly?"

"Here sir," said the other scout, his tone bordering frightened. "To our positions on top the canyon."

There were whispered conversations going through the large crowd of men at the sound of those words. . .but the Commander put on a stern face and ignored them. "Do the Tortugans know about this?" he asked.

The Captain shook his head in uncertainty. "Too hard to say. They looked abandoned but we didn't dare enter to see where they might start. Sir _if_ the Tortugans discover them, we'd be outflanked and the ground forces would be completely exposed."

"Assuming they haven't already." Eugene added. "With our numbers, we couldn't hold back an attack from up top without having fewer men below."

The Captain nodded. "The boy's right. So what can we do?" he asked the Commander.

The older man sighed angrily through his nose. He wasn't afraid, but he couldn't afford to show any concern, that would just discourage the men further. And they certainly didn't need more of that. "Captain, tell the scouts and archers to continue patrolling the area. If they hear even a peep out of those tunnels, we'll move our forces. Now, to bed men!" he ordered loud enough for everyone to hear. "Tomorrow, we fight."

**A/N: It's short and it sucks doesn't it? I know, it does. DAMN YOU WRITERS BLOCK! Oh well, it's an occupational hazard. I think there are only 3 chapters left so we're getting close to the end! Rapunzel will be in the next chap, didn't want to keep you guys waiting for this to be longer.**

**REVIEW. . .and read my new story 'The Rules' it's gonna be great.**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Ok, change of plans; Rapunzel will be in the next chapter. Sorry for the long wait again, but life just gets in the way. It sucks but we just gotta deal with it. Enjoy!**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Tangledsawesome: you never know who I'm gonna kill next ;) and thank you, we do need some drama in life.**

**Nikkibecket1997: Yes, yes I am.**

**P.s. I own nothing :( it's sad I know.**

Chap 29

Not far from the canyon of his enemies, the Great King William sat at the head of his elaborate throne, waiting impatiently for his scouts to deliver the latest news from the battlefield. The throne was located at the back of an enormous and luxurious tent. Elegant Persian carpets lined the floor while maps of the geography and battlefield positions hung from the walls, and hard wood tables embroiled with gold carried platter after platter of fresh food and fruits fit for a feast. But despite the aesthetic surroundings, the King only felt anger coursing through his veins as he drummed his fingers madly against the armrest.

He had already received news of his most skilled unit's defeat and withdraw. The Slayers, as they like to be called, almost 10,000 men strong had been humiliated by a group of barbarians. He was the unit's Commander-in-chief, they had followed his direct orders to attack under the cover of fog, and they had failed him miserably. The terrible news only exacerbated his already unsettled mood. He had also received word of riots and protests in his own kingdom by slaves from the conquered lands. They were put down of course, ruthlessly. But still, it unnerved the King. Never before had the slaves acted out against his rule, and if this news were to reach his larger army. . .it would compromise their unity within the ranks, specifically the lower ones.

Then suddenly, the curtain doors of the tent blew open and three mysterious figures stepped inside. Two very short men, completely covered from head to toe in black hooded cloaks, moved forward. The way their clothes just barely brushed the floor as they moved soundlessly toward the throne gave them the impression of ghosts. Their reputation reinforced that impression; Tortugan scouts, infamously known to never be seen nor heard unless they themselves want to be. The third man trailing closely behind was a Slayer, decked in golden armor instead of the standard silver, signifying a much higher position of power. His eyes were hid behind the shadow of his plain, faceless mask, and were as dark and hollow as wells.

The two cloaked scouts knelt and bowed their heads before the King. "Speak," he ordered, "what news do you bring from the front-lines?"

The two men exchanged a quick glace from underneath their hooded expressions. "We bring excellent news, Sire." One said, his voice as slow and raspy as a serpent. "Yes, most excellent news, Sire." Agreed the other in a similar tone.

"Then speak already." The King commanded firmly.

"Our spy with the Coronans reports they have discovered tunnels." The scout answered giddily, but with his voice it came out sounding maniacal and evil like. "Tunnels that lead directly to their positions on top the walls." The other explained, "No more having to attack them from the front; they will be defenseless and vulnerable, crumbling against our numbers."

King William pondered over this new information thoughtfully. How very fortunate for this sudden change of events. This is exactly what he needs to finally crush those damned Coronans like the bugs they truly are. He had little expectation that the war was to last this long, and even less so at the cost of it in men and resources. . .not that he had the slightest bit of care for the two.

"This spy," he questioned, "do they suspect him?"

The scouts shook their heads in unison. "No, Sire. They suspect nothing." One answered. "The Coronans are as gullible as they are fierce." Added the other.

The King smiled. "Excellent. Now leave us, the General and I have plans to discuss." He said, his eyes moving to focus on the third man in the room.

They obeyed, as the tall Slayer/General stepped forward and knelt before his superior wordlessly.

"Find those tunnels. Now." He ordered simply. "Search all night if you have to, and once you do, gather the rest of the men. We'll attack and catch them off guard at dawn. Now go."

The General stood and bowed stiffly before turning around to act out his orders.

But before he exited, King William added "And General." The Slayer twisted his head back to the right slightly, just enough to see the corner of one of the empty holes where his eyes should've been. "You've already failed me once, and I'm not in the habit of tolerating more of it. Now make sure it doesn't happen again. . .or else." The King finished.

And with that, the General exited without so much a word. Because this time, he would not fail. Failure is unacceptable for an officer of his rank.

!#$%^&*()

The War: Phase 3 (still), the next day.

No one had gotten a good night's sleep yesterday. Everyone had just laid wide awake under the starry sky tossing, turning, and curling beneath their blankets as they thought and rethought over what they'd just heard moments ago. _'Tunnels'_ their scouts had reported; the very thing that could be the death of them all. That's not exactly the last piece of info you'd want to hear before bedtime. It'd be like saying _'Oh hey, great news! There are now newer ways for your enemy to sneak past you and kill you! But don't worry about it, just sleep on it till the morning. THEN you'll die!_

So it didn't come as a surprise when dawn finally came that the men were acting a bit. . .slow. It was understandable; they've been fighting day in and day out for God knows how long, and it was getting to the point where they wouldn't have much left in 'em to fight with. There was also the stress of thinking that one of these days they'd be joining the _'martyrs' _club. The men didn't like to talk about it, but it was always one of those lingering thoughts you could never ignore, like a giant elephant in the room. The thought had always been there from the very beginning, but ever since yesterday. . .it's shown no one is safe from death.

Then there was the whatever and whoever waiting for them back in the kingdom to think about. Everyone had someone to think about. They had to constantly remind themselves that they were fighting this for that person, and for the kingdom. But for Eugene, it wasn't about whom he was fighting _for;_ it was about who he was fighting _with_; a certain brunette who was mad at him BECAUSE he was fighting. Not a day went by without him thinking of Rapunzel. He had daydreams on a few occasions about when this war was over and they'd win, he'd run back to the palace as fast as his feet could carry him, kick down the door to her bedroom, sweep his love off her feet and then—

"You ready for this boy?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

He came back to reality and looked up to where the voice came from. It was just the Commander and he was already dressed in his armor. It was hard to read his uncle's expression through his helmet but Eugene could clearly see the man hadn't gotten much sleep either; there was an almost grayish layer bags under his tough brown eyes and he didn't seem to stand as straight as he normally did. 'Had he even changed out of his uniform since yesterday?' he asked himself.

With a sigh the younger man answered, "As ready as I'll ever be."

The Commander managed a small smile at the reply, "Ya know I did warn you before this wasn't going to be easy."

Eugene smiled in return, "Yeah, but if it was, it wouldn't be nearly as fun as it is now."

Commander Thames laughed shortly and nodded, "Very true." He said, offering his hand to him. "Now get up and put your uniform on, it's high time we get this war over with."

A few moments later, all the men were dressed and in their formation at the edge of the canyon, waiting for the Tortugans to show up. The bottom half of the sun was slowly making its way above the horizon, casting large shadows over the canyon walls. Dawn had finally arrived.

Up above the men, the archers were readying their bows as the Captain looked on at the view. On a clear day, you could see a few hills miles away from where he stood, something that came in handy many times because behind the hills was where the Tortugans were stationed; he could know when they were coming and from where. But that wasn't the case today; he saw no men or any other sign of life preparing to attack them. It was strange. . .too strange.

But then, the ground started to shake softly. Tiny little tremors like waves caused the men to stagger a little; all the men then looked to their feet as if something was with them but they quickly realized it wasn't them. 'An earthquake' they thought? No, it was something worse.

The tremors became more violent as the men in the canyon heard shouts and screams coming from above them. "No." the Commander said quietly. The sounds of a battle went on above; men roared, and metal clashed with metal as bodies started falling on top of his men, their comrades screamed as they fell and made the hard landing on the others. "NOOOO!" he then yelled, "FALL BACK! EVERYONE RETREEEEAAT!" but the bodies still kept falling. Most of the men had heard the order and started retreating while others tried to grab as many living men as they could and drag them to safety. The battle ended as the last of the Coronans retreated deeper into the canyon.

**A/N: I don't think I've done a chap this long in a while, oh well. Please REVIEW!**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Hey, me again. You guys must be really pissed I keep taking so long, but I have a life ya know. . .and a second story to write as well, but those are good reasons too. Hope you like this chap, and Enjoy!**

**P.s. I own nothing.**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Nikkibecket1997: Love/hate, that's the kind of relationship I strive to get with readers. Thanks for the review :)**

**Tangledsawesome: You're in luck, she's in this chap and two things. 1) Stop, seriously you're making me blush :) and 2) Yeah, risky really isn't the word I'd use for it.**

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><p>Chap 30<p>

Rapunzel's POV

Don't you just hate it when things don't go the way you plan them. My plan was to escape the palace (been there, got that over with), search the forest for Eugene, find his sorry behind, tie him up and drag him back to the kingdom. It sounded so simple and ingenious in my mind. . .and then came the searching.

Maximus couldn't find him. Can you believe it?

My plan, my perfect plan was ruined by a horse who couldn't smell because he was sick with a cold he got the day after we escaped. Fate, God, Destiny, whoever else with the power to ruin my life, why do you hate me so much? Is it so wrong to rescue your boyfriend from death a second time?

Max, Pascal, and I have been looking through the forest for days now. My dress and cloak were splattered with dirt, I had bags the size of oranges under my eyes from all the sleepless nights, and I was getting really really frustrated now. No thanks to a certain sarcastic green chameleon who keeps saying _"I told you this wasn't a good idea, can we go back now?" _and I answered "Pascal, I'm not giving up. Eugene could be out there right now bleeding to death, and I have to find him before that happens."

"_Ok, ok. . .how about now?"_

"No."

"_How 'bout now?"_

"No."

"_How 'bout now?"_

"NOOOO!" Ugh, why am I yelling at him; maybe he's right, maybe Eugene is perfectly fine and this wasn't a good idea. It's just. . .I love him too much and I can't lose him again. And the thing is. . .I'm not doing this just out of fear for his life, that's the main reason but. . .I've been thinking lately about that day in the tower; the day he died and came back to life. My tears had saved him, but could it save him again? I had cried over my father's body the day he died, hoping and praying that the magic could work a second time, but it didn't.

For so many years I had grown up with the fact that any sickness or injury could be cured with a simple strand of my hair and a song for it all to go away, those are thoughts that stay with you, thoughts implanted into your head that it can all be undone. That's not the case anymore. If Eugene were to die again, I would die as well. My soul would be crushed into a million pieces and I'd have no reason to live.

That's why I need to save him.

And so I continued searching, this time going beyond the forest were the ground became rockier and harder and the color turned from a grassy green to a reddish brown dirt. And then, Lady Luck showed me some mercy as I looked what laid ahead of me, a camp. A camp with over a dozen buildings scattered in rows over the area, there were archery fields, and cabins, and mountain climbing, and offices, and empty armories all once filled with life. Eugene had been here, he just had to be.

But no one was there, the camp was completely deserted like a ghost town. I searched through the buildings one by one looking for something that would say where he and men are now. The sun was starting to sink across the horizon, it was almost sunset so I'd have to stop eventually. Then that's when I saw it, a canyon not too far in the distance. I was tempted to go in and follow it to wherever it went, but Max and Pascal looked too tired to go on any further, and searching for him in the dark wasn't logical; I could walk right past him without even knowing he was there, and then there was the temptation of sleeping on a nice, comfy bed with blankets again after days of sleeping on dirt. So I gave in and laid down on one of the bunks, curling underneath the fresh smelling sheets. I might actually get a good night's sleep this time.

So tomorrow I'll follow the canyon, tomorrow I just might find what I've been looking for.

!#$%^&*()

The War: Phase 4, later that night

Eugene's POV

We'd been defeated. For the first time in this war, it was us who ran away for our lives, not the sick, spineless, despicable dirt bags we call _'enemies'_; it was us, the good guys, the guys actually fighting for their country and their freedom, not their lunatic egotistical king.

That's not how it's supposed to work. We never should've lost, they never should've found those tunnels, and all those men. . .never should've died. Whatever happened to good triumphing over evil? Whatever happened to fairytale endings? Whatever happened to rooting for the underdog, who despite the difficultly, ends up winning? Had any of those even happened before in real life? Had they ever really been feasible in the first place?

Great, now I'm doubting the good things in life; my own life was a fairytale ending before the war. But then again, how could I not? Look at how long that fairytale lasted! Look at what's happened now!

You wanna know the best words to describe the feeling of getting your ass handed to ya?

It. Sucks.

Sorry, that's not descriptive enough; It. Really. Sucks. Yeah, that should about sum it up.

We all sat around a fire to a view of the sunset, depressed and quiet. It was a very déjà vu-ish moment from the day before, but this time, it was deeper in the canyon and those depressed and quiet feelings were 10 times worse. The fire was big and warm against the cold, encroaching night air that was soon to come, but wasn't nearly as bright as it should've been, and the long passageways surrounding us on both sides were as dark and terrifying as alleyways. You never know what's gonna come out of the dark, and that was what we all feared. As soon as the sun fully sets, the fire will be a flare, giving away our position to some very unwanted company.

And so it was gonna be another sleepless night.

But it was still too early to think about that. None of us knew exactly how many men we'd lost because not everyone made it back with us, but we counted the missing and it was well over 70 men; whether they were alive or not, we'd just have to hope and pray for the former. But even hoping and praying seemed useless. Since when are hopes carried out? Since when are prayers answered?

And then there were the injured; 200+ men completely out of action because they were fortunate enough to live through a fall from the top of a canyon, and unfortunate enough to be somebody else's landing.

It's gruesome to watch a medic at work. No one was bleeding to death thank God, but injuries like broken bones, torn muscles, dislocations, separations weren't very comforting either. Those just caused pain; pure, unwarranted, lengthy pain that always caused them to scream.

"Ahhh!" The Captain winced. "Damn it boy, stop touching my leg!" he shouted at the medic.

"I wouldn't have to if you'd hold still sir." The medic said, tying a rope around two wooden boards so his broken leg couldn't move. The Captain was lying down on a blanket with the other wounded soldiers and medics, while Uncle Thames and I sat beside him. The Captain only had a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder from the fall off the canyon, but the man was lucky to even be alive from a height like that. His shoulder wasn't much of a problem, the medic just popped it back into place and bandaged it up easily (to the sound of painful screams from the Captain), but his leg was; broken bones take time to heal and time was a luxury we didn't have.

Uncle just stared at the man before him with pity, "Here Captain," he said handing him a bottle of clear liquid, "this'll help with the pain."

He took it thankfully, drank just a sip, and spat it out in disgust. "Dear God, what is this?" he questioned loudly.

I looked back to Uncle and saw he was already drinking out of a second bottle. "Nature's painkiller, Swedish vodka. Now drink up Captain, trust me it'll taste better with practice."

The Captain looked reluctant, and maybe, just maybe for a second a bit tempted as well. "I'll have you know this is very unprofessional behavior for an officer." He warned, but surprisingly, his usual uptight voice wasn't in it. Like he didn't care much for professional behavior as he did before.

I snickered. "Yeah, and so is disobeying an order." I said grabbing the second bottle from Uncle with a swing, "Come on Cap, lighten up a little. Alcohol does wonders on pain and injuries."

He kept looking at me with narrowed eyes as if he were thinking over whether or not to do it. Truthfully, I really shouldn't have been the one encouraging him to start drinking. I admit, the Cap and I have gotten warmer towards each other over the past few weeks, war tends to bring people closer, sometimes more then they'd want but there were still some underlying issues. In the end, he just shrugged lazily and took another cautious drink as the medic finished tying up his leg.

"So Commander, with all due respect sir, may I ask why you're carrying two bottles of vodka with you to a war zone?" the Captain asked.

It should've been a simple question, one I also had in mind, but the look on Uncle Thames's face as he asked it made me think otherwise, Uncle looked worried and. . .conflicted; that was something he's never showed. But he answered "It helps me sleep at night. . .it helps me come to terms with what I'm about to plan."

It was that last part that attracted the attention of the other men, we all lifted our heads in surprise at his words. "Uncle, what is it? What are you planning?" I asked half suspiciously, half worryingly.

He hesitates to answer but he stands up so all the men can hear him. "Have any of you ever heard of the city of Carthage?" he asks. His expression is sad as if he himself doesn't like this plan.

We all shook our heads looking confused at his change in topic. He grinned for a second, "You should all read your history a little more, Gentleman. Carthage was one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, and the greatest in all of Africa. So great in fact, that they challenged the Republic of Rome and conquered much of its territory. The Romans eventually conquered their land back but at a great cost, they grew resentful and hated the Carthaginians deeply for what they had done. The tide turned to the side of the Romans enough for them to invade the city itself, and so began the Battle of Carthage. Do you know what the Romans did with their hate once they invaded, men?"

Again, we all shook our heads.

"They burned the city to the ground, crushed every piece of stone into rubble, enslaved over 50,000 of its residents, and spread tons upon tons of salt over the land so it could never be farmed and never be inhabited again. And for a few hundred years, no one ever thought of rebuilding it, not even the Romans who controlled the land. The Carthage that was lost could never be rebuilt to what it was in its heyday."

"History has a funny way of repeating itself, men. We have angered a kingdom, and that kingdom will want revenge. And I promise you, Corona will not end the way Carthage had," then, his face dropped as he grew sad again, "but for that to happen, I will need 200 men to come with me to face the Tortugans. The rest of you will go back to the kingdom while you, Eugene, will initiate plan B." he said with a quick wink to me, "The only problem is. . .I cannot ask 200 of you to come with me, knowing for a fact that all of you will die."

"WHAT!" I shouted, standing up in shock. This was stupid, this was beyond crazy, and this was actually suicidal! "Uncle, you can't do that, it's a terrible plan!" I argued.

He laid his hands on my shoulders gently, "You've learned all I can teach you, and I'm so proud of you for it, but I promised King Marcus I would protect you and Corona with my life and it's time I fulfill that promise." He whispered softly.

My eyes were getting watery and my vision blurred. Why did that sound so much like a goodbye? A permanent, final goodbye only possible in one way; death. I shook my head frantically, "No, no, no. I am not gonna let you walk to your death like that! Don't do this!" I begged.

"Funny. I remember a princess thinking the same way about you." He replied.

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><p><strong>AN: REVIEW!**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Hey guys, I can't reply to your reviews now but this is the longest chapter I have EVER written(4000 words!), and there is a huge surprise I've been waiting to reveal to you guys. So read on and enjoy!**

**P.s. I own nothing**

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><p>Chap 31<p>

Eugene's POV

The next day. . .was one of the hardest days of my life. And believe me, I grew up in a crappy orphanage and thieved for a living, I knew what a hard day looked like.

And it was all because of what he said last night, _'Funny. I remember a princess thinking the same way about you.'_ It. . .was. . .shocking; beyond shocking even. Mortifyingly shocking! And it was unfair, those circumstances were way different; I didn't have a choice, he's got one and he isn't even considering it. But if there was one thing I got from that comeback, it was that this was how Rapunzel felt; scared, worried, and dreadfully alone. Looking back on it, I acted like a complete ass about it, and I was wrong to do so but. . .she had let me go anyway. We had barely argued for five minutes before she gave up and refused to talk anymore. A part of me was thinking _'How could she have let me leave without a fight?'_ and another part of me was thinking _'Would she even be home when I got back?'_ It was those questions that terrified me most.

But it was the second thing Uncle said that actually caused the hardest day of my life, _'I cannot ask you to come with me, knowing for a fact that all of you will die.'_ After I was too stunned to continue our argument, the next thing that happened was in some ways, the greatest shock of the night, and in other ways almost completely expected; One by one, every man stood up and pledged their lives to the Commander without a second thought in mind, even the injured who couldn't stand tried and offered to fight on.

It was a noble, patriotic, and unselfish deed, but he couldn't accept them all, and especially not the injured. They had to live, they had to see their friends and families again, spread the word of how bold and mighty they fought on the battlefield, shout out the names of the martyrs on the streets, tell tales of their experiences to the young, the old, and anyone else who'd listen. At least, that was the way he put it.

And so the morning after, we packed our bags and prepared to march back to the kingdom. The 200 that were staying with Uncle Thames shook our hands, saluted, and wished us luck like we were the one's missing out and not the other way around. It got pretty emotional at times, Vladimir was squeezing Hook Hand in a bone-crushing bear hug but Hook could take it, he was still a tough guy. Vlad had actually wanted to stay and fight but Uncle wouldn't accept him. He had argued and protested but the Commander's words were final.

And then there was our goodbye. . .and it didn't start out too well.

When I walked up to talk to him on the field, I saw Uncle standing with an injured Captain balancing on two crutches, and they were listening very attentively to a third man dismounted next to a brown horse. He wore a red long-sleeve shirt under a tight bronze breastplate, with unnaturally white gloves and a plain, matching bronze helmet. I couldn't see the man's face because his back was to me, but I knew two things; one, he was a Palace Guard and two, they were NOT having a pleasant conversation. The Captain looked worried and kept glancing nervously between the two men as the Guard talked quickly, waving his hands a lot as he did. Uncle Thames's looked more calm and stoic, but his eyes showed concern and. . .disappointment.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked, approaching the three of them.

The Guard looked away nervously, and excused himself as I appeared next to him. It made me think, _'Was it something I said?'_

I was about to say it out loud but then, the Captain and Uncle share a glance; a very knowing, very suspicious glance like they were having a rapid fire mental conversation they didn't want to discuss with me there. Why was everyone acting so damn creepy? Did someone die or something? They were just staring at each other now, trying to overpower the other by sheer thought. But after a few awkward seconds, Uncle's expression became more sympathetic before he turned to face me.

"Captain, could you please excuse us for a few moments. I need to have a few private words with my nephew." Uncle might've looked calm, but he still had that commanding tone in his voice. The one that made everything sound more like an order than a polite request.

He nodded, "Of course, I'll. . .I'll go check on the men."

After he walked-more like limped because of the crutches—away, I spoke. "Ok, come on. What is it you're not telling me? Why's there a Guard here? I know you're keeping info from me, but I'm not a child, I need to know what's going on. If something bad has happened, then tell me! How can I be a good king if I don't have all the information?"

Commander Thames looked taken aback for a sec, and trust me; he's a hard man to surprise. But I really needed to get that all out; I didn't know if it was because of the stress, or the feeling of defeat, or the thought of losing my only living relative, but something had happened inside me. Something had snapped.

It didn't take long for him to recover from the shock before he put on a pitiful, conflicted expression. He then let out a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "IF. . .you become king." He said. But the way he said it. . .it didn't sound like a joke or even a remote challenge; it sounded like a fact, like there was a very big chance I wouldn't become king.

"I-I don't understand." I replied.

"Well, no point in beating around the bush anymore. I didn't want to add insult to injury, but you're right, you deserve to know," he said. "I guess I was just worried of how you'd react to the news."

"What news?"

He let out a conflicted sigh. What could've happened that was so bad? I mean, we're losing a war, he's about to die, and if Plan B doesn't work the kingdom is doomed. I honestly can't get any worse than that.

"Eugene. . .Rapunzel's gone. She's run away from the palace."

. . .

Oh.

It took a few moments before my mind could fully comprehend what he said.

"She left?" I questioned, the weakness and hurt clearly evident in my voice.

Then slowly, he pulled me into a hug. It wasn't much, and it wasn't what I wanted, but it was all he could do, and what he needed to do. "5 days ago," he continued. "The Guards have been searching the entire kingdom for her, no luck so far. I'm sorry Eugene."

I almost couldn't believe it; that wasn't something Rapunzel would do. Never in a million years would the thought that she'd just walk out and leave ever cross my mind. I thought she cared about me? I thought she cared about the kingdom? I thought… "I thought she loved me enough to wait." I said, hugging him back as tears formed in my eyes.

"So did I." Uncle whispered softly, but it had more emotion in it than I expected. It was then that I realized he was speaking from experience. He's had a woman he loved leave him.

I pulled away and rubbed my eyes before any tears could fall out. "Can I ask you something?"

He nodded, "Of course, anything."

I needed to ask this. I needed to keep the hope alive. Our lives were so different and yet, so similar. And so I asked, "The woman you loved. The one that left you, did you ever see her again?"

He hesitated, closing his eyes for a few seconds before saying "Yes. . .but it was many, many years later."

"And what did you do?" I asked curiously.

"We talked." He said plainly.

"But then what? What did you two do?"

Again, he hesitated for a few seconds. I knew this was a sensitive topic, and I didn't want to push too far, but I had to know I still had a chance at love.

"Nothing. . .we did nothing."

And then someone whistled. I looked to where it came and saw all the men were packed and lined up to go to Corona. It was time to leave.

"Go." Uncle said, "You have a dam to destroy, an enemy army to drown, and a kingdom to save."

"But not one to rule." I replied sadly.

"True, but Corona will need a new Commander after this. And I think I know just the right man for the job."

I just rolled my eyes and shook my head, "I still can't believe you're going through with this plan. It's suicide and you know it."

He sighed, "As true as that may be, there is no other way. If we all were to leave what would stop the Tortugans from marching straight to Corona? The city would be under siege with no guarantee we'd win, not to mention the civilian deaths that would occur. No, I would never let the Tortugans reach the people. Better they stay out here in the canyon. And someone has to stay behind and fight while you break the dam."

"But why? Why should you of all people die?" I argued.

"Because what you need to do isn't always the same as what you want to do."

Jeez, where have I heard that before?

I sighed in defeat. His mind was set, and he was never going to change it. "I'm gonna miss you ya know. All the fights, and talks, and excruciating lessons, it's been fun."

He smiled dryly. "Trust me Eugene, even death can't stop me; you'll be seeing me again. Now get going cadet." He finished with a salute.

"Yes sir." I said saluting back.

And then we parted ways. He and his men heading straight for the Tortugans, and mine heading home. But as we left, I remember one thing; all the men had looked back at the 200 men they were leaving, all looking like they should be one of those men.

!#$%^&*()

The War: Phase 4 (still)

Commander Thames's POV

I had marched to my death.

Not many men can have the pleasure of knowing when, how, and where they are about to die. And even fewer men would call it a pleasure at all. I guess that could explain why I became a soldier/mercenary in the first place; I wasn't a nervous wreck in the face of death like the cowards and wimps I fought against. They were scared of death, the mere thought or mentioning of the word would cause panic, fear, and disaster amongst even the most disciplined army.

As we had made our way to the opening, I could see the Tortugans watching, pleading that we come closer to face death. Their archers were stationed on top the walls, the tips of their arrows gleaming evilly as if unable to control themselves at the sight of fresh meat to kill. The army on the ground surrounded us on three sides so as to look like waves coming to drown us in their sheer size. Vultures and other black birds circled us above in the harsh sunlight, patiently waiting for their lunch courses to slaughter each other before taking a bite.

It was a powder keg of evil, bad luck, and disaster waiting for all Hell to break loose.

But it was in that moment, I realized this army, the Helios Brigade, defenders of the Kingdom of Corona, shared my indifference in the face of death. We had marched to the end of the canyon our chests out, our heads held high, and our formation unbreakable. We were completely surrounded with our backs were to the canyon's opening but not one of us thought of running. This was where we'd make our last stand.

A messenger then approached me; it was the same one who had delivered the terms of peace before the war. Look how much has changed.

"Commander," he said loud enough for all the men, Coronan and Tortugan, to hear. "This is your final chance to surrender peacefully, we do not wish for more of your men to die."

I snickered but stayed silent, standing alone as I faced the messenger. I was dressed in full armor; armor, spear, sword, shields, and my commanding helmet with the side-to-side red horse hairs. But behind me, stood 200 men waiting in battle formation, their shields stacked against each other to create a turtle-like shell with spears sticking out of the kinks like a deadly sea urchin. They were ready for death, but that didn't mean I wanted them to die.

"You Coronans fight for your kingdom, you may keep it. You Coronans fight for your freedom, keep that as well. All we ask is safe passage through your lands and your loyalty. Together we can make your kingdom the richest and greatest one in the region with your own leaders, only answerable to ours. I promise the Great King William will be merciful. He has learned to admire your men's fighting skills and bravery, and does not want such talent to be wasted. This can all be yours. . .all you need to do is drop your weapons and bow before the King."

And that's when I saw him. Not very far behind his army, was an enormous throne made of pure white marble and decked with gold and silver running down a set of stairs, all carried on the shoulders of dozens of sickeningly thin men. HE. . .was at the helm, starring with a mix of murderous rage and calm curiosity.

What the messenger had said sounded good, almost too good but I wanted to believe it was. I couldn't describe what I was feeling at that moment; guilt, worry, sorrow, defiance, nervousness, confusion, maybe a strange mix of all? I couldn't tell.

But for some reason, it felt like I was stifling with my helmet on, so I removed it and dropped it on the ground. My shield felt too heavy, and I dropped that as well. The spear in my hand felt weightless and foreign, and I dropped that as well. I sank to my knees on the rough, rocky dirt and bowed down so my head was touching the ground.

They say your whole life flashes before you as you're about to die, but that's not completely true. You do see your life flash, but you only see specific events. You see the best of times. . .and especially the worst of times.

But there was only one person on my mind:

_(Flashback, 20 years before)_

_It was my first ball, and it was pure torture. Not even actually getting tortured by an enemy combatant was this bad. All the formalities, and greetings, and idiotic small talk was enough for me to drown myself in the punch bowl so wouldn't have to deal with any of this._

_But this was something I had to do. I had a new life to start, a legitimate one where I didn't have to raid or kill some people to make a living. I was off duty. . .at least for the time being. And with the way things were going, I never wanted to be off duty. . .ever. Who was I kidding anyway? I'm no rich, snobby nobleman, and if this was the life of one, I sure as Hell didn't want to be. This was one of the biggest events of the year, The King of Corona's 60__th__ birthday, to which I was personally invited to for fighting on his side. I honestly can't stress enough how lame and ridiculous this all was._

_But everything changed when I saw her._

_She was beautiful. It was an understatement of course, but my mind went blank to any other form of description._

"_Having fun?" she asked sarcastically, a small smirk across her soft pink lips._

_That's when my mind clicked back on again. I sighed out of boredom, "A real blast. I just love attending the birthday's of old grown men. They're soooo eventful."_

_She laughed lightly before shrugging, "Good to know I'm not alone in my suffering. What's your name? I've never seen you around the palace before so you're new to here right?"_

"_I'm just a passing stranger. As for my name," I said extending my hand in greeting "Thames. Christopher Thames. And what, pray tell, is your's?"_

_She took it and we shook. Now that my brain was working again, I knew that just 'beautiful' was definitely an understatement. She had soft, chocolate-brown hair, an amazing smile with perfect white teeth, pink-tinted checks, and her eyes. . .they were the color of emeralds; beautiful light green orbs that outshined a full moon._

"_My name's Diana."_

_(Different flashback, 19 years, 9 months ago)_

"_Chris. . .I love you." She said, laying down next to me in the bed of the hotel I'd rented. We did it; we had made love._

_I smiled at her, kissing the top of her head. "And I love you."_

_For a few moments, it was all perfect. I had meant what I said deeply, but I had also lied to her; I wasn't who I said I was. And by this time tomorrow, I'm back on duty. I didn't have much time left, so I had to tell her. And it had to be now._

"_Diana?" I asked._

"_Mmmh."_

"_I have to tell you something."_

"_What?" she said lazily, not understanding the gravity of what I was about to say._

"_I'm not who you think I am."_

_With those words, she looked up at me curiously. "What do you mean?"_

_And so it told her. . .everything; My back story, my quest for my sister, and my job as a mercenary. She didn't seem to take the last part so well._

"_How could you do that?" she said, the shock very evident in her tone._

_I sighed. I knew explaining that part would be the hardest. "It's my job, it's what I do." I said plainly. Yeah, that was a horrible explanation I know._

_Then she got up, quickly got dressed, and headed for the door. I was so shocked, I almost watched her leave before saying "Diana wait!"_

_She stopped just as her hand was on the door knob. I got out of bed and put some clothes on as well and walked up to her. "You said you loved me." I continued._

_She hesitated before moving her hand away from the door to cup my face. Her eyes were wet, and I could tell she was conflicted between her common sense and her emotions, so conflicted to the point of tears. "I do. . ." she reassured, "but it's just. . ."_

"_I know." I said, pulling her into a hug. "But I promise you, after this job, I'll stop. I'll find something else to do, we can get married, move into a nice cabin. I'll do whatever I have to, but it has to be after this mission."_

_I pulled away, and she nodded slowly before giving me a small smile. "Ok."_

"_Will you wait for me?"_

_She nodded again, this time her smile widened happily. "Yes."_

_(Different flashback, 5 months ago)_

"_Well Commander," King Marcus said. "It seems your qualifications far out way the other contenders for the post. I would be honored if you accept this position as leader of our new army."_

"_My king, I can think of no greater honor than to defend the kingdom of my birth. I accept."_

_He smiled, "Good, I guess this little arrangement of ours will work out perfectly."_

_Then the King looked behind me as if someone was approaching._

"_Ah my love, come. I'd like for you to meet the new Commander of our army."_

_When I turned to greet the Queen, I took one look before I. . .panicked. I haven't done that in decades and it only happened around one person._

"_Diana, this is. . .Diana what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." King Marcus continued._

_And look like it she did, she was smiling before I turned completely but then the color suddenly drained from her skin and turned pale, her once bright green eyes now shined with fear, and her mouth hung open from the unexpected surprise. But by that time, I'd already recovered from my panic, and replaced it with a friendly greeting expression. "Thames." I said with a deep bow, "Christopher Thames."_

_Outside, after the King had left, we had a very pleasant conversation._

"_What in God's name are you doing in my palace?" she questioned angrily._

"_Now your highness, is that any way to treat an old friend? How very un-noble of you."_

"_Chris. . .what are you doing here?"_

"_I think the better question is what are you doing here Diana?"_

"_Ruling this kingdom." She stated firmly. "What's your reason?"_

_I pretended to look shocked, "Oh, you didn't hear? Your husband. . ." I said emphasizing the word with disgust. "has hired me to command the army. You know, the one that will be defending your rule."_

_She huffed. "It seems you haven't changed much, not that I ever thought you would've."_

"_Neither have you. Now, why didn't you wait?" I said bitterly._

_She said nothing, so I took a step closer and glared at her menacingly "20 years ago, I asked you to wait for me. And do you know what I found when I got back a year later? Nothing! Because you. . .weren't. . .there." I said painfully slow, allowing the guilt to sink into that once graceful skin of hers, but what now I cared not for. "Why weren't you there?" I whispered._

_Tears started falling from her eyes at the words "Things. . .things changed Chris. I-I fell in love with Marcus. We got married, and had a child, and you were the one who wasn't there when it happened. You weren't there to stop it."_

_(end of flashback)_

And here I am, the man about to stop a war. . .with his life.

"ATTAAAAAAAACCKKK!" I roared, and that was when all Hell broke loose.

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><p><strong>AN: Review! Please! **


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Hey everyone. I know it's been what? Almost a month! I can't tell you how sorry I really am, but this chapter was a nightmare to write. My first draft was crap, literally I mean it sucked. This one is much much better but I'm still not happy with it. I hope you have the heart to forgive me when you finish. Because this might be my last story for Tangled and there's only one more chapter in this story. Hope you enjoy.**

**Dear reviewer,**

**Adrilabelle: Merci beaucoup, I'm glad you like it!**

**Nikkibecket1997: Oh come on, it's not disgusting, IT'S SWEET AND HEARTWARMING!**

**Tangledsawesome: Thanks for the review!**

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><p>Chap 32<p>

Eugene's POV

There comes a time in every man's life when he looks back to that one significant event that changed his life, for better or worse. The memories of it keep playing over and over again in his head like a broken projector. It is then he starts to think about how things could've gone differently.

_What if I'd never left his side? What if I could've talked him out of it? What if this war never even happened?_

The questions tease you, torture you with thoughts and fantasies you know in your gut will never come true. But you keep hoping, and keep dreaming that they will anyway. And after that, disappointment will hit you like a speeding cart: you wake up to reality, where nothing has changed and where nothing ever will. Rapunzel left me, Uncle Thames practically went to his grave, and now I'm completely lost without them. My feet are walking away from them, but I didn't want them to. It's like I don't even have control of my own body while my mind wonders off, thinking about what a mess of a situation I'm in at the moment.

Things were simpler once.

I wasn't normally the type of person to get all up in angst and internal torment over something like guilt. But if these past few months have taught me anything, it's that I should just ripe the words _'simple'_ and _'normal'_ out of my vocabulary.

The second I left Uncle, was when the guilt started to sink in, like venom from a viper: slowly and excruciatingly.

I handled saying goodbye pretty well. We were talking and joking around like two old buddies coming to a crossroad, taking our separate paths alone wherever they may lead. But the mental punishment from it all was so unbearable I didn't even know how I managed to keep walking in the opposite direction. I guess it was because of the other men; nobody liked walking away, but they pushed on because they were ordered to.

And I honestly couldn't understand why.

_This wasn't right,_ I thought. _He shouldn't die, not like this, not in a war._

It was that last thought that made me stop in my tracks. This wasn't right. And here I am doing nothing about it like a coward. A spineless, uncaring coward. I was a soldier of Corona. I still am a soldier of Corona, and I'll be damned if I was gonna let my commander die without me.

"Fitzherbert!" I heard the Captain call. "Why are you stopping?" His tone sounded more annoyed than questioning.

I turned to face him. All the other soldiers had stopped as well, waiting and watching curiously to find out the disturbance.

"I think you know exactly why, Cap."

Even with the crutches and bandaged leg, he still had that senior, intimidating glare of an officer. They didn't like receiving attitude but I couldn't help it. I was just angry.

"You got something to say Fitzherbert," he replied harshly, limping in my direction. "Don't be shy. Go on, spit it out."

"Alright then, this is bullshit."

The Captain raised a brow. "That all?" he asked sarcastically.

"No, that's not all." I said. "For weeks, I like everyone else here truly believed we actually had a chance at this war. For weeks, I thought my own uncle actually believed we had a chance to overcome. And imagine my surprise when one day he says to me, to us, it's all hopeless. We're all gonna die. And the kingdom is practically lost without its princess. No, I don't believe it, I can't. We can't let it end like this! We can't just abandon them!"

"You think I don't already know that? You think any of us like the fact that we're running away like rats! NO! But what other choice do we have?" The Captain asked.

"We can fight and—"

"And what? Die like martyrs? What difference will it make? The Kingdom would be in even greater danger. Give it up, Fitzherbert. We can't win this war. We lost the day they took the walls."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. And I was too angry to resonate with what he was saying. I felt betrayed. Was I the only one who wanted to do something to change our predicament? By the looks of things, it sure as Hell felt like it.

"So you're just giving up." I said with bitter realization, turning to look at the men. "You're all giving up. Do you know what that means? That means you're all COWARDS! If this is how a Coronan acts after a battle, abandoning its leader, running scared for its life, then I'd rather have stayed a thief."

"FITZHERBERT! That's enough!" the Captain yelled. "Your Commander gave you an order. And I don't give a damn whether it sits right with you or not, you follow it to the letter."

"I AM NOT LEAVING HIM TO DIE!" I shouted back.

The sound was so loud it echoed off the walls of the canyon, bouncing around in all directions. It was then I felt the ground start to shake again, just like it had the first time.

Everyone drew their weapons and looked around watchfully. The last time it happened we lost a battle, and they weren't going to make the same mistake twice. Suddenly, a large section of the wall collapsed, revealing a large black hole in the middle of the brownish-red rock. We all eyed it with suspicious curiosity, waiting for something to happen.

Nothing did, and we lowered our weapons. I stepped toward it and looked inside. It was a tunnel. And an idea popped up in my mind; if the tunnels the Tortugans used took them up the canyon, then maybe this can too.

The Captain and the other men looked shocked. "That's. . . .convenient."

"It's more than convenient, it's our key to victory." I replied.

"Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you are." The Captain said.

"It could work. It could save them all."

"It could be suicide; you don't know it'll take you where you want it to."

"Well then, I'll just have to find out, won't I?"

The Captain sighed reluctantly. "Not all of us can fight, and we might not have the manpower to retake it. But. . .if you decide to go back, I won't stop you."

I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Gentlemen! We have some comrades to save!"

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><p>The War: Phase 5<p>

Third person POV

Chaos erupted. Behind the Commander, the shield wall moved and expanded like a well oiled machine, opening up spaces for the Coronan archers to shoot out of. The arrows flew in all directions, impaling themselves on their Tortugan rivals. They were overcome with shock as the messenger ran back to safety, but they recovered fast.

From behind the massive army, King William watched the horrible scenes unfold with absolute fury and rage. "SLAUGHTER THEEEEEM!" He ordered loudly at his troops.

But the ground troops couldn't, every time a soldier tried it was met with a few arrows in the chest. The archers on top the canyon walls were having better luck, they were actually firing arrows but to no affect. The Coronan plan was brilliant; the back half of their shield formation which was facing the archers was tightly closed, not allowing a single projectile to penetrate. The front half of it was open and facing the ground forces who received arrow after arrow on end.

And in the middle of it all was the Commander. He rose from his feet, gripping the spear in a tight grip. He had no helmet, no shield. Just himself and his spear.

His helmet was stifling, it narrowed his vision and he had to see far.

His shield was heavy, it threw him off balance and his target was far away.

With one mighty throw, his weapon sailed through the air. It flew over the entire army, but that wasn't his target. No, his target was a single person, the source of all their misfortune, whose greed cost the lives of thousands of men. His target was the King himself.

He stood from his throne, failing to notice the flying weapon till the last minute, and it was already too late. It drove into his stomach with painful force and he found himself sinking to the ground, one hand on his stomach, the other grasping for anything to hold him up. He was breathing heavily now, the end was near, his kingdom would cease to exist without him, he would be lost in the pages of history. He laid on the ground, coughing up blood, and then. . .he stopped coughing, and he stopped moving.

But the battle continued anyway. The Commander ran back under the cover of their shields.

"Status report!" he shouted once entering safety, grabbing pieces of armor and weapons from other soldiers.

"Archers are running low on arrows, we'll run out any minute now!" one said.

"There's too many of them! Our shields won't hold them forever!" said another.

"Commander! We're out of arrows!"

"There are not enough of us to kill them all!"

"The shields are getting dented!"

"ENOUGH!" Commander Thames shouted, causing all the men stopped talking. "We break formation and attack; they'll never see it coming. Tie your shields to your backs and trust your instincts. We can do this, men."

Everyone nodded.

"On three. One. . .Two. . .Three! ATTAAAAAACCCKK!"

They broke formation as ordered and went after the enemy. The Commander drew his swords and ran at the soldiers, slashing and stabbing left and right. The bodies of Tortugan soldiers piled up, and there were already hundreds dead on the ground but now Coronan bodies were falling as well, most with arrows in their backs from the archers on the walls.

They were fighting like warriors. Each kept battling an overwhelming number of enemies until death. They were losing men fast; one by one another fell, dead before they even hit the floor from all the arrows and slash and stab wounds.

Hook Hand was like a madman, every Tortugan he set eyes on would get the beating of his life, pounding his shield against their heads until their skulls cracked and stopped moving. He threw his shield at one Tortugan, knocking him out with a single shot to the head, but he wasn't fast enough to see another one drive his spear through him. Quickly followed by two swords from other enemy soldiers.

He gasped for breath and slowly sank to his knees, a small trickle of blood spilling out of his mouth. But at the last moment, he regained some strength. He picked up a sword from a fallen Coronan and slashed at the two with the swords, killing them instantly. He then grabbed the one with the spear by the collar, pulling him closer. The soldier looked terrified of Hook; even through his spear was still in his body. Hook could feel his hands shaking in fear as the man gripped the weapon. Slowly, he raised his sword in the air and brought it down on him with a roar. The two fell to the ground dead.

There were less than a hundred Coronans left, and still thousand of Tortugans, but then the ground started to shake and everyone was momentarily confused and caught off guard.

Commander Thames had two arrows lodged in his chest but it didn't seem to affect him much. His training taught him to ignore pain, to ignore any and all distractions, to just keep fighting. Then he heard screams from behind him. And he looked up to the canyon, soldiers were being pushed over the edge, falling to their deaths and then he saw them. The rest of his army.

Eugene was leading them, fighting off an enormous crowd of Tortugans. The Commander smiled and shook his head. "He never listens, does he?" he said to himself before focusing back on the fight with renewed energy.

On top of the canyon, the men were fighting with everything they had, pouring their emotions and power into each strike. Not everyone was there, the Captain agreed to lead the injured back to the city, but they had more than enough to take on their foes.

Eugene ducked, blocked, and countered each hit that came near him. More bodies fell off the cliff as they pushed them back. But then he heard something that didn't belong in a place like this. The last thing he wanted to hear at the moment.

"EUGENE!" a woman's voice cried. But it wasn't just any woman's voice; it was Rapunzel's.

He looked back, and there she was, covered in dust and dirt, Pascal hiding in her shoulder and Maximus at her side. He got distracted and was almost stabbed by a Tortugan before he noticed at the last moment. He smacked him with the butt of his sword and threw him over the edge before running back to Rapunzel.

"I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you left me."

She looked hurt and cupped his face. "How could you think that? I came looking for you Eugene. I love you."

He would've smiled and kissed her among other things but now was NOT the right moment. Instead he shouted "Protect the Princess!" The men obeyed and formed a circle around them, blocking off any sight of the violence.

Once the last Tortugan was driven off the cliff and they took control of the area, they noticed the battle on the ground wasn't over and were horrified at the sight they were seeing.

Commander Thames was the only Coronan still standing, and there were thousands of bodies on the ground. He was surrounded by about ten men and had red, bloody slash marks across his chest and arms along with three arrows in his chest and a fourth in his thigh. But he still wasn't down. He fought on while the hundreds of remaining Tortugans retreated.

He spun and slashed with his swords killing two of them. The others struck back but he backed away and stabbed another as he ran toward him. Another jabbed at him but he parried and slashed at his neck. One went at him with two knives, but he grabbed his wrists, kicked him in the gut before stabbing him. He picked up the knives and threw them at two other soldiers, killing them. Commander Thames couldn't keep this up but there was only one more soldier left. The Commander was wobbling on two feet, barely keeping balance before falling to his knees. The soldier lunged at him with a spear, but the Commander wasn't as weak as he looked at the moment. He moved his body as he jabbed at and the spear tip broke as touched the ground. He picked it up and stabbed it into the soldier's leg, bringing him down to his level before he stuck him down with his sword.

He was the last one standing on the ground. All others lied dead around him, 199 Coronans and thousands of Tortugans. He was the last one and was near death himself.

The other Coronans looked on from the top of the canyon, watching the Tortugans retreating in the distance.

"They're running!" a soldier screamed, causing everyone to cheer with joy. "THE WAR IS OVER!"

But it wasn't. There was just one last thing to do, the Tortugans that were retreating fired off one last round of arrows. There were so many of them they almost blacked out the sky. Rapunzel gasped in horror, her nightmare was coming true. But they were too far to hit the canyon walls; they were aiming for the ground.

The Commander watched the arrows above him and held his arms out, as if waiting for them to take him.

"He's not going for his shield." A soldier said with rising fear in his voice. "He's not going for his shield!"

Eugene over heard the remark and ran for the edge to see himself. He wasn't trying to defend himself. He was waiting for them. "THHAAAAAAMMES!" he shouted. But the Commander turned for a microsecond and offered him a sad smile, as if sending him a mental message.

It was the last time he ever saw that smile. Because the Commander was now dead, arrows riddled across his body.

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><p><strong>AN: Don't kill me! I don't even like the chapter that much. There's still one more chap left and if you kill me, you'll never get it! So please REVIEW!**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I decided to edit this because I didn't think did the story justice ending it in that way, but now I couldn't be happier with this ending. It feels more. . .complete now. Hope you enjoy! And I've decided not to write the sequel so ignore the comment at the bottom of the page.**

**Well, this is it people: the last chapter. It's been fun, you've made me one of the happiest people on Earth with all your motivation and support and this story could never have been possible without all of you. But I've noticed a few things in the Tangled fandom: IT'S DYING. New stories aren't popping up like usual, people are reviewing less, and there's been a drop in visitors and hits. And I've started moving on to other fandoms to write about, but we need to save this thread. But anyway, back to the story. Read on people and, for the last time, ENJOY!**

**P.s. I own nothing.**

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><p>Chap 33<p>

Eugene's POV

I ran down from the canyon to the ground at top speed. The wind blew hard and pushed me back but that only made me run harder. Rapunzel wasn't far behind. She had a look of horror on her face, but not with urgency like me, like she was almost expecting all of this. The whole way down I kept thinking, _'This can't be happening. This can't be happening after all we've done.'_ We beat the Tortugans. We came back to fight and saved all of Corona. But we didn't save a single Coronan. We failed them, and that was what mattered most; 200 lives were lost.

The ground was studded with arrows, making it look more like a plain of wooden grasses rather than a battlefield. When I reached his body, I was in shock. I sunk to my knees and started crying. I started sobbing just as badly as Rapunzel had on the day of her father's death. It was only now that I truly knew how it felt to lose something so precious to your life. It was devastating.

I cradled him in my arms. Don't ask me why I was hugging a dead body, I was just that emotional. I found myself rocking as I did, but again I didn't know why. Suddenly all the men gathered around, most were in tears while others struggled to fight their own back. Rapunzel sat down and wrapped her thin arms around me, making soothing _'shush'_ sounds to comfort me.

You might think that was a bit ironic, but it wasn't at all. I was there for her when she needed it and now she was here for me when I do. That's how it should be.

Then I heard a voice in my head, '_Stop weeping. You're showing weakness and you are not weak, Eugene. Think of the men, they will follow your example, and now your lead. You haven't finished your task just yet.'_ The voice chided softly. There was only one person it could belong to, and his body was in my arms. He was right; there was still work to do.

With difficulty, I released my hold on him. Rapunzel noticed and released me as well. I stood, looking around at the men as they forced themselves to stop crying.

"Collect the bodies," I ordered shakily. "All of them. No one gets left behind, not in life and not in death." I pointed to a random soldier "You, find a flag. We'll need a shrine for the Commander."

He straightened and nodded, "Yes sir." He said as they immediately went to work.

Then I turned to a horse, "Max, buddy, I need a favor. There's a dam not too far from here, yes it's the one you broke last time. Listen, I need you to do it again. Wait for a few minutes before you do, we should be finished by then. Can you do that?" I asked him.

He stood tall, a twinkle of respect and pride in his eyes and determination lined in his face. It was the kind of look he only gave to someone of rank like the Captain or Commander. Now he was giving it to me. He nodded before taking off back into the canyon.

Rapunzel came up to me and hugged me again, her arms around my torso and her head placed under my chin. She seemed surprisingly calm after everything that's just happened. "So what now?" she asks somewhat lazily.

I hugged her back, pulling her closer into me. It was only then that I noticed how tired and miserable she looked; her dress was stained with dirt and dust, she had bags under her eyes, and her hair was messy and uneven. But to me, she was a picture of perfection. Always has, always will be. It didn't matter that she didn't look her best, it mattered that she was here at all, and I was an idiot for ever doubting her. So I answered, "Home. We go home."

!#$%^&*()

Third Person POV

And so they marched back to the Kingdom, reaching the stone bridge that stood as their gateway back to their homes and families. Maximus had broken the dam again as everyone watched from afar at the winding river flooding the canyon. No army would ever come through there again. It didn't take long after that for the people of Corona to hear that the war was finally over, that they were victorious, and that their boys were finally coming home. Thousands gathered at the edge of the city, just before the stone bridge to meet the men in uniform who protected their livelihoods. Music was in the air, women and young girls on balconies readied themselves with baskets of rice and rose peddles while the others down below clapped, danced, and sang along with the music. Purple Coronan flags were waving and fluttering through the crowd, giving the impression of hundreds of moving golden suns.

Then they saw the outline of an army, causing them to cheer louder. But as they drew near, the cheering slowly dulled and disappeared. The men looked grim, and they had reason to be; every 6 men were carrying a body with 3 on each side, wrapped in white bed sheets from their camp. They didn't expect to see their princess there with the soldiers but the shock at the number of dead was a bit more pressing matter. The atmosphere quickly turned from celebration to mourning. As they crossed the bridge, men and women started wailing and shedding tears, children screamed, and there was a collective wave of sadness spreading through the city as the news got around. They then threw their flags to cover the bodies—a sign of respect and patriotism for those who died fighting. The woman threw their rice and peddles at the bodies as the soldier started shouting "Long live the Commander!", "Long live the martyrs!", and "Long live the Kingdom!"

It was very reminiscent of the king's funeral and equally as emotional and large as it was a month ago.

After many hours out on the streets, mourning and marching, people filtered back to their homes. Many of them had been given the bodies of their relatives and were preparing for the funerals. Eugene and Rapunzel went back to the castle, reluctantly parting ways to their separate rooms. It was a rough day (insert major understatement) and they needed some rest. He walked in to find his room just as he left it, almost empty, but there was one new addition to it—a letter on his bed. Curiously, he picked it up, looking confused to find it here. A not on the letter read:

_Your uncle ordered me to give you this before he died. It was one of the reasons I didn't want you to go back, but that was your choice. This should explain everything._

_-Captain_

He opened the letter quickly and read on:

_Eugene,_

_If you're reading this paper, then I have left this world for the afterlife. I know this must be difficult for you. But know this: you are my nephew and a true Coronan. You will survive, you will conquer without me. Stay strong. Take it from me; you don't need a Queen to be a King. What's done has been done, it can't be changed. But the least I can give you is an explanation; a full explanation._

_I had to protect the kingdom. You know that, and I did it not only because I made a promise to the King, but a promise to myself that you would be protected. Your place is with Rapunzel, and I could never think of anywhere greater. She makes you happy, and that's all that really matters. You didn't need to be a soldier, but now that you are you won't need my help in a fight. You've come so far in so little time. _

_The second reason is more. . .personal. I wanted to see your mother. I've spent years not knowing her fate, but now I have to chance. It might not sound like a good reason, but I don't have any other way of saying it. I miss her terribly. She was a wonderful woman and I know she's been watching over you. I will send your parents your love._

_The third reason is honor. When hope begins to fade, and people start to doubt themselves, they need the motivation to go on. If we died, all of Corona would have gone to war. Our ranks would have swelled at the news that we unselfishly gave our lives for the citizens. That type of news tends to change the course of thought and inspire others. I always had a feeling I would die on the battlefield. They say those who live by the sword, die by the sword. If I fall, then I will fall with my men and fight till the last breath has been sucked out of me. And I would have it no other way. I only regret that I'll have to leave you behind, but as I said, stay strong. I have taught you everything I knew, prepared you the only way I knew how, and now you must put it to good use. I am proud to have called you my family._

_You have been like a son to me, and you've brought more joy to my life since before I was a child. Goodbye, and good luck, Eugene. I love you._

.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel was in her own room, and was reading a letter on her bed.

_Rapunzel,_

_If you're reading this then you've come back to where you belong. I didn't want to think you left him, but my experience didn't agree. I'm also a soldier; it's not in my nature to be unfaithful to my cause or fellow men. Remember, Eugene needs you just as much as you need him. Being away from you would crush him, so I pray you take good care of him. You have always been my greatest student. Never before have I ever met anyone with your degree of kindness, loyalty, imagination, grace, and love. You are so much like your mother. When I look at you I know the Kingdom will be well without her._

_And honestly, you never really needed those etiquette lessons; you had it all inside of you from the very beginning. You will be the Kingdom's greatest Queen._

_You are truly a jewel amongst stones. Goodbye and good luck Rapunzel. I'll miss you._

.

Now there was just one left. For a very, very special person.

_Diana,_

_I'm sorry. I truly am. You were right; I wasn't there for you. And not a day goes by that I don't imagine what could've been. I was cruel to you after our discussion, and I apologize. People should never have to wait for others; it prevents them from living their own life. I sometimes dreamt that we were together, and that Rapunzel was our daughter. But it simply wasn't meant to be. You would've died giving childbirth. But I would have searched the ends of the Earth to find the flower that saved you. I have never stopped loving you Diana. It pains me that you've lost the most important men in your life to a war. But now you have a daughter, and possibly a son-in-law. You won't lose them, I can guarantee that._

_As for the late King, I know you loved him more than me, that is something I can't deny. I saw how you cared for him. I saw how you grieved for his passing. He was a brilliant man, and an even better husband. He treated you like one would with a flower: with the utmost care, the utmost compassion, and utmost amount of love. I honor him for doing what I couldn't have._

_But know this: you are my Queen, my almost wife, and my first true love. You are the beholder of my heart. May you live happily. Death will not part my feelings for you; we shall see each other again. Goodbye._

_P.s. I love you._

.

!#$%^&*()

6 Months Later: Eugene's POV

We were on a lake.

The crisp white sand was hot and thin beneath our bare feet. Every now and then a crab or similar shelled creature would pass us by as we walked along the shore. You could see the city as clear as day in the afternoon sunshine, it looked like a piece of white chocolate with a few specks of red in the middle of a giant blue bowl. You could say it was a pretty romantic setting.

I mean, this was our honeymoon.

Yep, me and Rapunzel tied the knot. The wedding was great. The Kingdom treated it like it was the biggest bash of the century; it took a full 2 months to prepare with all the decorations and place settings and dresses and food and the guest list, ugh, don't even get me started on that one. Do you have any idea how hard it is to select the people that'll be at your wedding? Especially when it comes to royalty and there'll be a lot of important people you'd insult by not inviting them? It was a nightmare. Thank God I didn't a part in it. . .except for maybe just one tiny request: that the Stabbington Bros. could attend as well. It only seemed fair; I mean they did play a huge role in bringing us together. . .somewhat. Ok, so the wedding was amazing and it completely went off without a hitch.

Almost; just a small problem with the rings (and the ring bearers), no biggie.

"So. . ." I began, a smug grin across my lips.

"So." She replied, smiling back. "We're finally married."

I laughed a bit, "Yeah. Guess that means we don't have to have sex behind their backs anymore."

She rolled her eyes, "Was that really the first thing that came to your mind?"

"No," I said playfully. "The first thing was how beautiful you look in white."

She shrugged, but her smile had widened, "I kinda do, don't I?"

We continued our little stroll with a comfortable silence. There wasn't really much else to say. We'd said our vows and _'I do'_'s back at the church in front of the entire Kingdom. Now we were just enjoying the moment by ourselves.

"He would've been proud of you, you know." She said, breaking the silence.

I didn't need a hint to know who she was talking about: Uncle Thames. The thought had passed my mind too many times to count after all the preparation and planning of the wedding. It came back again when I was standing at the altar. I couldn't help but wonder how different things could've been if he'd lived. It certainly would've made everyday life a bit easier, but as he said in his letter, what's done is done, I'll just have to live with it.

"He's not the only one." I said back, gazing into her emerald green eyes.

We held our gaze, and I got the feeling she was having the same thoughts about him and her father.

"Yeah. . .but we'll just have to make do with each other."

I raised a brow, "Are you saying I'm not good enough?" I asked faking a look of hurt.

"No. You're all I ever needed." She said, sliding her hand into mine.

I smiled, "So are you Blondie. So are you."

* * *

><p>My (the author's) POV:<p>

You're probably thinking right now I'm gonna say _'And they lived happily ever after. The end.'_ or some other crap like that.

But that's not how I roll.

Say whatever you want, but this was not your average _'happily ever after'_. Too many friends were lost, too many families were left without sons or brothers, uncles or fathers, and too many problems still need solutions. The wounds are not all healed, and the dead are not all buried. The memory of that war will forever be implanted in their minds. They will never forget. They will never forgive.

And the thing about saying _'The End'_ is that there never really is one; when one door shuts, another one opens, new replaces old, but it doesn't end. You can't say after all this everything will just be smiles, and happiness, and laughter. No, that's only for the fairytales you read to kids. And this is not, by far, one of those either.

So yeah, this might not be your average fairytale happily ever after.

But hey. . .they sure as Hell, came close enough.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well it's finished. The conclusion to a great story. My favorite part was my POV, I put a lot of thought into that one. I'd like to think that this story has had an impact, even if small, on your lives. I hope you come out better people in the end. I know I have. And again, for the last time, REVIEW.**

**Adios! Au revoir! Goodbye! See ya!**

**But wait! I do have a sequel planned up, but I'm honestly not sure whether to write it or not. The info about it is on my profile, so if you want a sequel send me a PM or review and I'll take it into consideration. Goodbye! And for old time sake, just review.**


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